Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application It is with heavy hearts that the family of Howard J of West Mifflin announce his passing on November 26 son Jeffrey Odenthal and cherished grandchildren Zach (Katie) Varga Buck was also survived by his brother Mark (Lori) Odenthal of Shippenville 3 precious great granddaughters Quinn and Mina Kessler and Zoe Varga and many cousins Buck was a graduate of McKeesport High School He then served in the US Army as a personnel specialist Buck worked for Mellon Bank as a systems analyst for 35 years retiring as a Vice President in Data Security He was a Steelers season ticket holder for 60 years.  Buck was a youth football coach for many years coaching both his son Jeff and grandson Zach and countless other young athletes Affectionately known as Coach Buck by his players Buck spent a majority of his free time watching his grandchildren play sports - wrestling softball and baseball - traveling near and far Buck also enjoyed monthly lunches with his Mellon Bank co-workers playing cards with friends and afternoons talking politics at the Thompson Club.  Buck was a man of his word to all that had the pleasure of knowing him He would do anything for anyone and was never one to complain He will be greatly missed by those that loved him.  Arrangements were private and entrusted to the George Irvin Green Funeral Home Please share your memories and condolences at georgeigreenfuneralhome.com This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Donora police arrested a woman Monday in connection to a robbery that occurred in the borough last week faces felony charges of robbery and aggravated assault Court records do not list Odenthal’s address Odenthal knocked on the door of Dale Shawley’s residence in the 90 block of Allen Avenue and asked to use the bathroom Charging documents state that Odenthal grabbed a PlayStation 5 and left the house Odenthal is accused of pulling a knife on Shawley when he tried to stop her and suffered a minor cut to the chest Odenthal was arraigned Monday night before District Judge Mark Wilson who sent her to the Washington County jail on $25,000 bond If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Herald-Standard | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Having arrived in Como in the summer of 2022 from NEC Nijmegen Odenthal has been a key pillar of the lariani defence and a key contributor to the family spirit of the club He made 61 appearances for the BiancoBlu including two crucial goals last season Como 1907 wishes Cas all the best in this next chapter of a bright career © Copyright 2025 Como 1907 Official Site The Vikettes, on the ropes against a capable Bethlehem Catholic squad Top-seeded Central Catholic rallied for a 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-13 victory over the fourth-seeded Golden Hawks during the District 11 Class 3A semifinals on Monday night at Catasauqua High School The Vikettes (21-0) advance to meet fellow unbeaten Southern Lehigh (20-0) in the district final 5 p.m. Thursday at Catasauqua. The Spartans swept Schuylkill League champion Pottsville in Monday’s other semifinal which fell to Central Catholic in a thrilling five-set Eastern Pennsylvania Conference final took the first set and led by as many as eight points in the second set Golden Hawks sophomore Jocelyn Bell scored from the back row to give her team a 17-9 lead in the second segment An error put Central Catholic behind 20-14 followed with three errors in a row to open the door for their rival and start a nine-point run for the Vikettes Junior outside hitter Emerson Springs registered a kill and senior setter Milly Wolf made back-to-back blocks to tie the score at 20-20 The Vikettes took their first lead of the second set with an ace from senior defensive specialist Jena Odenthal “I think in the first set we had a little bit of nerves and we started playing our game,” Odenthal said which was important and we weren’t doing as well in the first set – especially in serve-receive we started getting balls down and our hitters were hitting excellent spots.” A block by senior middle hitter Grace Coppola and another kill by Springs gave Central a 23-20 advantage Becahi eventually conceded the set with a double hit at 25-21 “We realized that we had to start pushing and it was no longer a joke,” sophomore libero Briann Bauer said about her team’s turnaround We started hitting the balls down and hitting them in the spots we were working on Wolf stuffed yet another Becahi hit to make the score 21-12 Kills by senior outside hitter Anna Quinn and Springs ended the frame at 25-17 “It was really our mentality,” junior middle hitter Riley Landis said We were focused on having fun and doing everything that we talked about.” The final set was all Central as Quinn took over late She had three kills and a block to tally the Vikettes’ last four points in a 25-13 victory Central, which has won 63 of 68 sets in regular match play this season, took lessons from its classic battle with the Hawks in the EPC championship game “We learned that they’re a great team that’s never going to give up,” Odenthal said so we knew we had to play for every ball and not let any balls drop We had to play our best because they’re a great team “We really could see spots on the court that were open that we weren’t necessarily taking advantage of during the EPC final,” Landis said focused in during practice and put it into the game.” Springs and Quinn finished with 21 and 20 kills Odenthal and Bauer registered 19 and 17 digs Becahi finished second in the D-11 3A power point rankings but was seeded fourth due to the preferential seeding given to league champions made a seven-win improvement on their 2023 record and finish with an EPC silver medal after failing to make the league tournament last season Central and Colonial League champion Southern Lehigh 1 and 2 spots in the lehighvalleylive.com Top 10 for weeks will now finally clash with a championship and state berth on the line “We really go in with the mentality that everybody wants to beat us and we just have to give everything in every single game,” Landis said The Vikettes are vying for back-to-back D-11 3A crowns Southern Lehigh is seeking its first district title since 2019 “We are so excited to have a chance to play in the final,” Bauer said “We’re going to go in thinking that we have to do our best on the court if we come off the court at the end of the game thinking that’s the best we could do,’ then we’ve accomplished our goal.” Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices LOCAL NEWS BY LAUREN STEINBRECHER MOAB — A witness and a Good Samaritan in Moab recounted an incredible river rescue after a father and two sons flipped their inflatable kayak and became trapped in the rushing water The witness who saw the entire situation credits the quick action of two men for saving the family just in time Taking a quick drive out to the Colorado River last Thursday Eric Odenthal took his friend Gaar Lausman up near Big Bend Campground so that Lausman could paddleboard down the river Having taken a trip down himself the day before in his pack raft the outdoors guide and river expert described it as “rowdy,” saying the river is running fast and cold because of peak runoff “It’s fun and it’s enjoyable if you have the right gear,” Odenthal said “But it’s very dangerous if you do not.” as an inflatable kayak with a man and two kids later identified as being 8 and 10 years old “I ended up seeing the kids floating downstream with one of the kids kind of facing down Odenthal said both boys did not appear to have the proper kinds of personal flotation devices for that section of the river Odenthal didn’t have the right gear to jump into the fast-moving because he was only dropping off his friend I would have been out there at the exact same time.” Lausman hopped on his paddleboard to get to the kids but Odenthal could see the dad was too far downstream He said the father appeared to have a horseshoe collar PFD with him that was floating away because the man wasn’t actually wearing it “I’m watching this gentleman float on his back His face is barely above water,” Odenthal recounted “He looked like the debris that was floating down the river As the undertow threatened to pull dad underwater “It was literally a miracle this guy showed up,” Odenthal expressed whose head is barely bobbing above the water Daniel Wright said he was traveling upstream having come out to the Colorado River alone that day he thought he was looking at debris or a floating log in the water He said Lausman got his attention and was signaling to him toward the father who was struggling to stay afloat and he only was down in the water maybe 2 inches — and he completely disappeared,” Wright said Odenthal took a few photos as he watched Wright make his way toward the man saying he could tell the dad was on his last breath The father used his last strength to stick up his hand toward Wright and Odenthal happened to take a photo the moment the man’s arm reached out of the current “He realized that was it,” Wright said and Wright pulled the man to the riverbanks “I gave him a hug and I embraced him because it was an emotional moment and I think we both realized what had just happened,” Wright said though Wright said the boys were shaking and scared was puking up water and barely able to move The drowning man sticks his hand out of the water in one last attempt to be saved by Daniel Wright Wright wondered why the three didn’t have the right kind of personal flotation devices “As soon as I got him out of the water ‘Why don’t you have a life vest?'” Wright recounted saying the family was ill-prepared for the power of spring runoff Grand County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue posted about the incident saying the 10-year-old was wearing a belt-pack personal flotation device that ended up forcing the boy’s face into the water because he had flipped over Grand County search and rescue crews explained was wearing a personal flotation device that was too big and failed to keep his head above water “GCSAR would like to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to wear adequate, properly-fitted, properly-worn PFDs everywhere on the Colorado River,” Grand County SAR wrote, in their post “The river’s surface can appear deceptively calm while violent currents just a few inches underwater can pull a swimmer down or sweep a person farther down from shore.” They posted several tips in the comments of the post, recommending people to stay alert to changing conditions dress for an extremely cold swim and be prepared to help others Wright and Odenthal expressed gratefulness that three lives were saved “It’s good that Gaar and Daniel were there to rescue this family and help them enjoy another day of life,” Odenthal said “I’m just really thankful,” Wright said “I really just think God just had me right there at the right time.” Officials remind swimmers to be cautious before stepping foot in water this summer Follow @KSL5TV New data from HassConsult reveals a significant shift in Nairobi’s residential property mar A recent surge in visa revocations and policy modifications is creating apprehension among The US government has implemented a stringent new immigration policy known as "Catch-And-Re The remains of three Kenyan nationals who perished in a devastating fire in Sharjah A Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League match between Gor Mahia and Shabana FC at Prominent businesswoman and former Nairobi gubernatorial candidate Agnes Kagure faces serious allegations of fraud German national Uwe Heinz Odenthal claims Kagure deceived him out of €1 million (approximately Sh142 million) in a failed investment scheme The controversy centers around Trojan Six Oil 2019 Ltd an oil company that allegedly promised Odenthal annual dividends of €300,000 (around Sh42 million) in exchange for his investment Odenthal reports that after transferring the funds he encountered significant difficulties in contacting Kagure and other company directors raising suspicions about the legitimacy of the venture The saga began at a dinner organized by Jurgen Haese who lauded the profit potential in Kenya's petroleum sector Haese claimed to have invested €2.5 million (about Sh356.3 million) in the venture himself and emphasized a minimum investment requirement of €1 million for interested parties Enticed by the prospect of substantial returns where Odenthal purportedly conducted due diligence and met with Kagure with Odenthal initially committing €500,000 (Sh71.3 million) he later increased his total investment to €1 million “Kagure agreed and accepted my proposal above and she told me that she is the main boss on the board of the oil company and that I should not worry at all and she say (sic) welcome to the company.” Mr Odenthal statement to the police reads The situation took a concerning turn when planned meetings to discuss the investment were abruptly canceled and Odenthal's requests for documentation went unfulfilled he was not permitted to take photographs during a visit to the company's alleged premises Odenthal transferred funds in installments Despite assurances that contractual agreements would follow his attempts to obtain copies of signed documents were met with excuses from Kagure and her associates when Odenthal claims he was pressured to provide an additional €500,000 (Sh71.3 million) to ensure the business's progression their lawyer brings the contract to sign; I see him only for five minutes and now I want a copy of the agreement I have just signed then I am told it is not ready just because of a stamp To date I have not been given that agreement,” Mr Odenthal said in his statement His refusal led to a purported new agreement in which Kagure and Nderitu offered to loan him the additional investment amount Frustrated by Kagure's subsequent silence and lack of updates Odenthal has filed a formal complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) He now finds himself struggling to meet his own financial obligations having secured a €500,000 loan from a German bank to fund his original investment It is reported that both Odenthal and Haese are married to Kenyan women deepening their connections to local business circles Permalink This woman thief and her criminal associates should already be in prison and the authorities recovering the stolen money for the victims!! just gullible victims who don’t understand the corrupt Kenyans common schemes!! Permalink Permalink Two people in Kenya who one should be very very careful when entering into deals with are politicians and pastors Politicians use state power and influence to intimidate victims while pastors use Jesus to hoodwink victims Permalink                MOAB — A man who witnessed two men dramatically rescue a family that had fallen into the Colorado River last week said it felt like a "miracle" that everything played out as it did Eric Odenthal traveled to the Colorado River on Thursday to drop a paddleboard off to a friend on Thursday when the dire situation played out in front of him Grand County sheriff's search-and-rescue officials said a 40-year-old man and his two sons were floating on the river on an inflatable kayak Thursday when it flipped in rapids near a beach close to Drinks Canyon Camping Area along state Route 128 northeast of Moab The agency wrote in a social media post on Sunday that all three had personal flotation devices but the device had "flipped" the 10-year-old face-down into the water while the 8-year-old struggled to keep his head above water because of the size of his device The man's device was in his lap when the boat flipped "I ended up seeing the kids floating downstream with one of the kids kind of facing down struggling," Odenthal told KSL-TV on Monday He didn't have the right gear to jump into the fast-moving water a Moab resident and former search and rescue member saw the incident and used his paddleboard to rescue the two children from the water But the father had traveled too far downstream by this point for Lausman to reach him The man was also struggling to stay afloat in the river's eddies just happened to appear on his personal watercraft Grand County search and rescue officials said Wright was jet skiing in the area and had inadvertently passed "within a few feet" of the fallen boater but didn't notice because the man was "almost completely submerged" and "virtually unnoticeable because of the substantial amount of high-water debris." This guy showed up and started circling," Odenthal said Wright initially thought he had passed a log before Lausman caught his attention and informed him that a man had fallen in the water reached into the water and pulled the man out Odenthal captured a photo from the river banks showing the completely submerged boater's hand poking out of the water as Wright reached out to make the rescue He was able to pull the man to the banks of the river where they embraced in what Wright called "an emotional moment." Wright said the boys were shaking and scared and their father was all shaken up Search and rescue officials said all three declined medical attention They also thanked Lausman and Wright for their quick thinking and action Grand County officials said the incident also serves as a reminder of why people should wear "adequate and properly worn" personal flotation devices while recreating on the water Authorities say water safety is even more important this time of the year creeks and streams across Utah — is flowing faster than usual because of the spring snowmelt period "While any stretch of the river can be dangerous at any water level higher flows present even more danger," the agency wrote adding that faster flows can result in more flips many chimed in on the post to call Lausman and Wright "heroes" for their actions But Wright chalks it up to being at the right place at the right time "God just had me right there at the right time," he said Receive emails when new obituariesare published to our website When you have experienced the loss of a loved one you can trust Boldt Funeral Home & Cremation Services to guide you through the process of honoring their life We pride ourselves on serving families in Faribault and the surrounding areas with dignity Our staff is experienced in a variety of funeral services and can help you celebrate your loved one no matter your religion Our compassionate staff is committed to serving you in your time of need We will do everything in our power to make your experience meaningful and memorable and each family is treated the way we would want our families to be treated Many families reach out after the conclusion of the services to let us know how much our support and guidance meant to them in their time of need and we’re honored to receive such heartfelt praise We feel that these messages speak for themselves and we’d like to share them with you family-oriented environment with traditional architecture and tasteful interior decor Our facilities accommodate all types of funerals and memorials large and small and compassionate services to you and your family Our goal is to lessen the burden on your family so that you can focus on celebrating your loved one's life and beginning your grief journey towards healing Boldt Funeral Home & Cremation ServicesPhone: (507) 334-4481300 Prairie Avenue S.W.Faribault Contact Us PHOTO CREDIT: Audrey Helbling and Katie Brien © Boldt Funeral Home & Cremation ServicesCrafted with care by Frazer Consultants and TA Your browser may not work with certain site. Upgrade now. Paul and Upper Midwest Food Magazine // Feasting on the Bounty of the Upper Midwest A location-obsessed realtor would probably not think well of Odenthal Meats’ address. A few miles outside of New Prague, down a winding county road, and just past Next Chapter Winery Odenthal’s is surrounded not by other shops and attractions There’s no sign on the nearby state highway that tells you where to turn Owners Randy and Laura Odenthal were raised in the area but when his parents asked him if he wanted to take over he decided that even though there were aspects of farming that he liked “I had some friends who worked in meat markets His next step was to attend Minnesota West Community and Technical College in Pipestone which offered meat-cutting courses (discontinued in 2006) specifically to open a shop in which he could handle the slaughtering side of the business so he and Laura bought the property just down the road from  his family’s old farm “We do things as naturally as we can,” he says noting that his sources don’t use growth hormones But getting the meat is just the first step Odenthal’s sells more than 120 kinds of sausage and jerkies as well as fresh-cut meats and a wide variety of frozen items The recipes weren’t handed down to him from previous generations of his family We’ve spent so much time researching and developing recipes.” The payoff for all that effort is found in a display case full of pungent moist texture and a strong salmon flavor along with the smoke as Odenthal knows too well: “The time from start to overcooked is pretty short there’s a backup plan: when the salmon is overcooked the shop has a standing trade agreement with the nearby Lakeside Supper Club which takes the salmon and combines it with cream cheese to make a pecan-coated salmon log: an old-school supper club dish for the restaurant with some sent back to Odenthal’s for the staff to enjoy The shop also does custom orders and frequently someone arrives with an old recipe that’s been buried away and asks Odenthal’s to prepare it for them they receive a shipment of alligator meat to make sausage for Bayou Bob’s Wondering what your price is for shredded beef w/ auju do you have a website that shows what kind of meat you have I live in Wisconsin now so I don’t get to Minnesota to much I love your salmon and wondering if you can ship it in the mail Subscribe to our newsletters on Substack. - For former volleyball player Jill Odenthal Sracic her volleyball career ended with her earning All-America honors but her current career is even more impressive earned her undergraduate degree in genetics native returned to the UW to earn her medical degree Odenthal Sracic recently moved to Indianapolis with her husband Michael Read all about the challenges she faces in her new career and her recent trip to Guatamala Name: Jill Odenthal Sracic Age: 27 Profession: Emergency medicine resident physician Degrees: I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in genetics in 2006 and earned my medical degree from the UW in 2011 Where do you live and how long have you been there My husband and I recently relocated here one month ago from Madison following medical school Tell us about your family: My family consists of myself and my husband former UW track and field athlete Michael Sracic Catch us up on what you have been doing since graduation: Since finishing volleyball and then worked for a local Madison biotech company for a year I entered medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and completed my MD this year whom I have been dating since undergrad (and who is simultaneously completing his PhD in engineering) I matched into an emergency medicine residency at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis and expect to complete my board certification in 2014 How did your Wisconsin degree help you in your vocation I earned both of my degrees from Wisconsin and they have been instrumental in developing my professional career My original intent was to pursue a PhD in genetics I found that I enjoyed the personal interactions in medicine even more I was fortunate enough to spend 10 years in Madison and I believe that the university helped put me on the path to career satisfaction and lifelong learning I do not know where my career will ultimately take me but I will always be a Badger through and through What have been some of the highlights of your career I couldn’t have asked to finish on a better note at the NCAA Elite Eight and playing with some truly remarkable athletes along the way As for my professional career as each day brings new and unexpected challenges I am grateful to each and every patient I have had the opportunity to treat I learn infinitely more than I ever expected with every encounter - both about medicine and about myself It is overwhelming to experience the extraordinary compassion and courage of the average person when faced with life’s greatest challenges What is your best memory of being a student-athlete at Wisconsin I had an opportunity to play with the best teammates I could ask for Winning the Big Ten championship my freshman year and finishing in the Elite Eight my senior year are two favorites Becoming an All-American my senior year was an unexpected What is your favorite memory of Madison I love Madison and have so many happy memories - summers I met my husband and some of my best friends there Madison will always and forever be a very special place for me You spent this past summer on an amazing opportunity I recently had the opportunity to take a trip to Guatemala I lived with a host family for a month in Quetzaltenango (or Xela as the locals call it) while I worked on my Spanish and volunteered on a few projects who had previously relied on burning of charcoal and firewood indoors and I also worked at a children’s daycare facility outside the city I would love to say that I was able to give something back but I honestly believe that the Guatemalans taught me so much more I had a chance to hike some volcanoes and visit fellow medical school classmate (and former Badger track alum) Nate Brown as he was working at a small hospital in Santiago de Atitlan It’s a trip I will never forget and I hope to use this experience to make international medicine part of my future career Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Colleen was born to Al and Mary Odenthal in Joliet WA in January of 1980 where Colleen grew up Colleen attended All Saints Catholic grade school Ferris High School and graduated from Eastern Washington University with a double Masters in Communications and Counseling Colleen was a dedicated mother to the joy of her life Colleen met the love of her life Rob Draper and they married on September 5 Colleen will be missed by all that knew her for her loving Colleen was always willing to be there for a friend or family member in need Colleen is survived by her husband Rob Draper; daughter Morgan Odenthal; parents Al and Mary Odenthal; brother Chris (Elizabeth) Odenthal; nephews: Jacob and Nathan and niece Charlotte Odenthal; parent-in-laws Wally and Carol Draper; sister-in-law Melissa (Brian) Sanford; and numerous aunts She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Roman and Norma Holloway; paternal grandparents William and Phyllis Odenthal; and Uncle George Holloway a memorial fund has been established at Banner Bank for Morgan in the memory of her mother Colleen please visit www.hennesseyfuneralhomes.com Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A convicted sex offender faces a 9-year prison sentence after being found guilty last week on two counts of third-degree felony criminal sexual conduct after having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old 33-year-old Nicholas Paul Odenthal of Pillager was already a convicted sex offender when he was pulled over for a routine traffic stop for expired tabs on Jan The officer who pulled Odenthal over learned he was a sex offender and saw two 15-year-old girls in the vehicle with him The deputy then called the girls' parents.  MORE: Charges: Man had sex with girl, 15 the parents of the girl who was in the relationship with Odenthal had been led to believe he was 18 When they found out he was actually 32 (at the time of the incident) they came to pick up their daughter from the scene But he told the girl he was 22," said Chief Deputy Bruce Bechtold in 2017.  Investigators later discovered she and Odenthal had sex on multiple occasions between summer 2016 and late January when they were pulled over.  Over a year after he was charged for this case Odenthal was sentenced Thursday in Stearns County court to 9 years in prison He gets credit for about one year and three months of time already served.  MORE: Waite Park man accused of sexually assaulting girl, 15 CLOUD -- A 33-year-old convicted sex offender from Pillager has been sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl in St Nicholas Odenthal pleaded guilty in October to two counts of 3rd-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim between the ages of 13 and 15 and is more than two years older than the victim Odenthal had met the girl in August 2016 and began a sexual relationship shortly thereafter The situation came to light after a traffic stop in St Cloud where Odenthal was pulled over for expired tabs The officer noted he was a convicted sex offender with two teenage girls in the car One of the girls told the officer she was in a relationship with Odenthal The parents were called and Odenthal was arrested The girl told investigators Odenthal knew she was 15 but misrepresented his age to be much younger The victim said she believed Odenthal was 22-years-old Court records show Odenthal has a 2008 conviction in Crow Wing County for sexually abusing a child younger than 13 A 33-year-old convicted sex offender from Pillager has been sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old girl in St. Cloud.\nRead More Defensive end Moubarak Djeri takes part in OTAs with the Cardinals Moubarak Djeri flew to Arizona in late March with four days' worth of clothes and a dream he still has the same comically thin wardrobe There are 23 undrafted rookies on the Cardinals' 90-man roster none more unique than Djeri (pronounced Moo-buh-RACK Jerry) The 22-year-old defensive end hails from Germany where he played the past two seasons for the Cologne Crocodiles of the German Football League played college football at the University of Toledo in Ohio during the early 2000s Odenthal has long yearned to get foreign prospects into the NFL and through a relationship with scout Ryan Gold WR Larry Fitzgerald explains what it's like to be a rookie and rookie minicamp gets underway "I knew he was a special breed of athlete when I met him first," Odenthal said in an email "I saw him at the bus stop and he looked just like a pass rusher that I saw in college But to go the league you have to be very special So the last two years I thought if he could progress the way he progressed he might have a shot somewhere But really this offseason his talent exploded." Djeri arrived on a tryout basis -- hence the reason for the light packing -- and the Cardinals were intrigued enough to sign him to their offseason roster as the speed of the first few practices was a wakeup call What's changed is that I have to pick it up Djeri looks the part of a professional football player but his true talent level can't yet be gauged which makes Cardinals coach Steve Wilks hesitant to make any grand proclamations about the foreign import (Defensive line) coach Don Johnson is doing a tremendous job with him as far as giving him the things he needs to understand the base fundamentals We'll just have to see exactly how it goes." Odenthal tried to prepare Djeri as much as possible he comes right off a dirt field in Cologne Germany to an NFL facility," Odenthal said Take a look at highlights from the first OTA practice as the rookies and vets come together Djeri's acclimation to American culture will also take time a small West African nation that borders Ghana but there are still some words that flummox him Djeri talks to his long-time girlfriend every night on WhatsApp I have to work to show the coaches that I want it." Odenthal remembers a similar feeling when he arrived at Toledo come to their games and give them love," Odenthal said My brother worked in Cincy and was there at times But nowhere but in the United States do you get that chance to become great." A support system has already been formed for Djeri lives in Arizona and has given him tours of Scottsdale and Tempe Cardinals defensive ends Bryson Albright and Vontarrius Dora recently took Djeri bowling and to Topgolf a native of Nigeria who moved to the United States at the age of 10 "We have both experienced that cultural difference It makes it easy for me to communicate with him and get him situated with everything." Paul Calvisi brings you the latest news from the first OTA practice in Tempe "I cooked more African (meals)," Djeri said Djeri is tailoring his diet to the specifications of the Cardinals' nutrition staff but has found a favorite cheat meal when he's allowed to stray "He likes chicken wings a lot," Martin-Oguike said Djeri has a tough climb to make the roster when the Cardinals pare down to 53 he will have plenty of faraway followers checking his progress "There aren't a lot of German guys that have come over," said Djeri who joins Bengals tight end Moritz Böhringer Ravens fullback Christopher Ezeala and Buccaneers linebacker Eric Nzeocha as Germans in the NFL "It's a big surprise that somebody is here and has an opportunity to make it happen." It's common for foreign NFL hopefuls to have a groundswell of support back home Martin-Oguike said many people in Nigeria don't really understand the game of football but grasp the gravity of a local landing in the league "It's a big deal to them," Martin-Oguike said It drives you to become one of the first people to be in that sport." he could have returned to Cologne to gather more belongings see his family and prepare mentally for the sudden shift in his life But that would have meant missing valuable practice time "If I'm here in the beginning and I can learn all the stuff He hopes the dedication will give him a chance to make the team "Right now I have a lot of Cardinals stuff that I wear," Djeri said Images of Cardinals QB Josh Rosen and WR Christian Kirk at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Beverly Hills over the weekend Cardinals owner said recognition is his highest honor received Wide receiver eligible for Canton for first time this season Release international tight end Bernhard Seikovits Ohio State ties show again with addition of Fryar Everything you need to know about the Cardinals 2025 Draft Class Texas offensive lineman picked in sixth round; Nevada safety in seventh Cardinals move down in fifth round to get back into sixth round 'Frustrated' defensive back ready to prove he should've been first-rounder as projected Team adds edge rusher to much-improved front seven Program co-created by NFL and Nike will feature unique uniforms for game Defensive lineman played for six different programs since 2018 especially the black population—being forced off and kept out of the protected areas This phenomenon can still be observed today in many protected areas all over the continent even if they live in close proximity to national parks the black population doesn't feel attached anymore to their animal neighbours and no longer see wildlife as a part of their patrimony marginalised communities drive animals from protected lands seeing the animals' protected status as a threat to their own existence These populations have little sympathy for wild animals This development provides a fertile breeding ground for criminal organisations that see lucrative business or a way out of poverty in poaching and wildlife trafficking.  That's why it is important to involve local communities in the protection of wildlife The local people should no longer get the impression that their interests are less important than those of the animals Only when they benefit from national parks and the preservation of biodiversity will they stop seeing protected animals as a threat to their own daily struggles for survival but a possible way out of the poverty trap towards a better life for their families Local communities can be an effective buffer zone around protected areas which would be difficult for poaching syndicates to overcome: if they are involved in the welfare created by sustainable wildlife tourism Such participation of local communities can occur in various forms but by no means self-evident form is land ownership The communities could be legitimate owners of the land they have been living on for generations This goal is yet to be achieved in many countries The practice of colonial expropriation in South Africa ranges from the arrival of Jan von Riebeeck and the 'Dutch East India Company' in 1652 to the mid-1980s when the racist apartheid regime finally collapsed The question of returning land to the black majority population, which is always accompanied by the question of possible expropriation of white landowners and possible compensation payments, is still an explosive political issue for the cohesion of South African society as a whole From the perspective of many wildlife conservationists, the ownership of animals is considered a promising option to better protect endangered species such as rhinos. The famous conservationist Dr. Ian Player chose this option for his "Operation Rhino" - with success. Buyers of rhinos saw their animals as a valuable investment that they took special care to protect. an anti-poaching special unit currently operating in South Africa and Zimbabwe “If you transfer property rights of animals to local communities you have to enable them to generate sources of income with them and without further assistance from outside.” For the participation and strengthening of excluded or marginalised groups, the term "empowerment" has prevailed mostly in favor of minorities and disadvantaged individuals or groups: women Education and the transfer of responsibility are its two central components the empowerment of women seems to be particularly promising Many experts in the field of development theories see women as the backbone of African societies They care for the children as well as for the elderly and sick of the family they carry drinking water all the way from the nearest sources back home every single day and they even do the hard work out in the fields to grow food while the men's part of the education of their children and housekeeping is not worth mentioning For they are mostly men who move to the bigger cities or all the way to Europe hoping for a better life Deliberately only accepting women: The Marara Recycling Project engaged a local group of underprivileged women to start their own recycling business.  Excessive use of alcohol is a major problem in many African communities—a problem that almost exclusively affects men the empowerment of women seems particularly meaningful because it would strengthen the part of society that carries the biggest burden and the biggest responsibility anyway they immediately report to the local police anti-poaching units the South African authority managing the country's national parks For a few months now, another purely female anti-poaching special unit called "Akashinga" (which means "the brave ones"), has been patrolling the Lower Zambezi Valley in neighboring Zimbabwe on the border with Zambia. It was founded by the Australian Damien Mander and its "International Anti-Poaching Foundation” (IAPF). BBC World Service Radio on Zimbabwe's all-female, vegan, anti-poaching team and the former Australian sniper who's leading them. the Akashinga are armed with heavy semi-automatic weapons and female candidates also undergo tough military training just like the men IAPF states on its homepage: "Selection was opened exclusively to unemployed single mothers opportunity was created for the most vulnerable women in rural society Having never received a secure form of income they dealt with adversity and poverty within the marginalised areas of rural Zimbabwe every day of their life they would seize the opportunity and return home as rangers Trained by experts in conservation and law enforcement their future is now interwoven with the wilderness they protect – just as the fate of humanity is inseparable from our willingness to conserve biodiversity." It sees local communities as partners rather than enemies and includes two crucial elements: IWT meeting report of the International Symposium 26-28 February 2015 in South Africa on communities, governance, incentives and sustainable use in combating wildlife crime. Communities must benefit from the wildlife they are helping to protect And community scouts must be accountable to their communities or any other given community-based initiative can provide important information to fight poaching But they can not provide a basis for a long-term "inclusive" strategy And partners are best met in dialogue and at eye level rural black communities in Africa might still have a long way to go The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. A 32-year-old Pillager man posed as a 22-year-old and had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl according to criminal charges filed Friday Nicholas Paul Odenthal is a convicted sex offender who faces two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Stearns County He made his first court appearance on the charges Friday The charges stemmed from a routine traffic stop made Jan The deputy stopped a vehicle Odenthal was driving because it had expired tabs The deputy learned that Odenthal was a predatory offender and saw there were two 15-year-old girls in the vehicle with him one of whom was in a relationship with Odenthal The deputy called the parents of the girls The parents of the girl who was in a relationship with Odenthal were surprised to learn that Odenthal wasn't 18 as their daughter and Odenthal had led them to believe they came to the scene to pick up their daughter But he told the girl he was 22," Bechtold said Investigators started to learn more about Odenthal and his relationship with the girl She and Odenthal had sex on multiple occasions between the summer of 2016 and late January Investigators aren't sure if this is the only person Odenthal has tricked into a relationship Investigators found lots of condoms in his vehicle and they believe the amount of items found in his vehicle make it likely that he was in a relationship with more than the victim in this case "I would not be surprised if someone called us to tell us their daughter was dating him too Odenthal has a 2008 conviction in Crow Wing County for sexually abusing a child younger than 13 He was sentenced to 21 months in prison for that offense Follow David Unze on Twitter @sctimesunze or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sctimesunze it's about time for geo-engineering if we want to meet the Paris Agreement goals Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is hoped to be an alternative method against global warming one thing is becoming increasingly clear: humanity is running out of time There are many indications that it might be too late already for "natural" methods of solving the global warming problem in particular the afforestation of large areas to filter carbon dioxide out of the air using photosynthesis (Watch out for our report on afforestation efforts in our FairPlanet-dossier on climate change.) So humanity could ultimately be forced to use artificial interventions into nature: geo-engineering There are basically two types of geo-engineering that are considered by scientists and engineers while Solar Radioation Management (SRM) seems to incorporate too many unknown factors - and risks - to be used on a large scale for example spraying sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere for artificial cloud formation thereby reflecting more sun rays back into space before they can hit the earth's surface Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) appears to be an alternative that can be used shortly Let‘s take a closer look at the state of the art about 95 percent of the carbon dioxide had morphed into carbonate minerals It has been captured and dissolved in water and was then pumped into the injection site where it was converted into minerals by chemical reaction the carbon dioxide cannot leak out of the ground and into the atmosphere Suitable basalt formations can be found globally They cover most of the oceanic floors and around ten percent of the continents In turn, methanol could be used as an alternative fuel, for example by heating it and letting water evaporate, which could then drive turbines to generate electricity. The process, which was presented in Nature Energy in November 2019 even surpasses the natural role model in terms of efficiency by a factor of ten It comes as a chemical reaction that involves four substances – glucose sodium hydroxide and sodium dodecyl sulfate – all added to water The water then has to be heated to a certain temperature and carbon dioxide is blown through it while a beam of light shines on it It might take a few years for the process to be commercialized though but once the scientists partner with potent industry companies they might be able to scale it up quickly The most promising way to get carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere again, however, might turn out to be a device developed by T. Alan Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor and the Director of the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and MIT-postdoc Sahag Voskian, who developed the idea during his Ph.D It is a type of battery that can absorb carbon dioxide as it flows along the electrodes of the device What makes it so special: It can work at virtually any concentration level even at around 400 parts per million (ppm) which is the current concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere In other words: there are no intermediate steps required pure carbon dioxide to be used in the carbonation of beverages then a stream of the pure gas can be blown through the plates The captured gas is then released from the plates and joins the stream it could be compressed and injected underground for ong-term disposal or even made into fuel through a series of chemical and electrochemical processes two sets of such stacks of electrochemical cells could be set up side by side to operate in parallel with flue gas being directed first at one set for carbon capture then diverted to the second set while the first set goes into its discharge cycle the system could always be both capturing and discharging the gas the team has proven the system can withstand at least 7,000 charging-discharging cycles with a 30 percent loss in efficiency over that time The researchers think that they might be able to improve it to 20,000 to 50,000 cycles With about one gigajoule of energy per ton of carbon dioxide is quite energy-efficient compared to other existing methods which comsume up to ten gigajoule per ton The electrodes themselves can be manufactured by straight forward chemical processing methods they could be produced in large quantities through a roll-to-roll manufacturing process similar to a newspaper printing press with costs of just a few dollars per square meter of electrode For more capacity you just need to make some more electrodes global warming can only be mitigated if we not only get the excess carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere again There is simply no alternative to leaving fossil fuels in the ground The good news is: we have experienced it before – and survived Indeed our planet has been through mass extinctions of flora and fauna before.  human activity is the driving factor behind 99% of species currently at risk of extinction: habitat loss global warming and toxic waste are all at play here.  We are facing the sixth mass extinction of species on our planet hardly anyone is aware of its scale or phenomenon at all The scientific definition of the term is that in a geologically short period of time at least 75% of all animal and plant species die out a severe ice age caused sea levels to drop by approximately 100 meters wiping out up to 86% of all species – at that time this consisted of predominantly ocean dwellers. After the ice melted once again the species existing at the time died from the shortage of oxygen in the oceans earth suffered a prolonged climate change event namely 'the big one' affected more than 96% of all species It was linked to large-scale volcanic eruptions in Siberia again most likely due to another large volcanic outburst leaving earth clear for dinosaurs to flourish 76% of the species disappeared after a giant asteroid impacted the land we now know as Mexico following large volcanic eruptions around India mammals – and eventually humans – taking advantage and thrive It is said that there is a sixth mass extinction already underway – or on the brink of beginning whether it has already started or will start shortly is at the centre of serious discussions among scientists.) Disputes regarding the timeline of the sixth mass extinction are abundant a concoction of them all – was to blame in the past but it is mankind that is to blame for what will come next Mankind with its overindulgent attitude: rising populations infrastructure dominance is dangerously restricting the habitat land and resources for other species to ensure the fate of all living beings on our planet This is the geological era of the Anthropocene (deriving from the ancient Greek word 'Anthropos' which means 'man') We have reversed our role on planet earth by 180 degrees: in the beginning of mankind animals were both feared of and worshipped Animals were portrayed as can be seen in the Chauvet Cave we push nature to its boundaries for our own convenience and profit; we domesticise the wild We dominate the world and its wilderness; we treat nature and animals as our property – not as creatures that cohabitate our planet our infrastructure and consumption need to expand alongside nature and the animals living within it are forced to exist for our catering and supply and we enclose them in wildlife conservations if the mood strikes compassion.  wild animals have become refugees on our planet From the documentary "Terra" by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and Michael Pitiot. A Rhinoceros being relocated to a safe area as being seen in the documentary We are disrupting a process that has taken billions of years to evolve. Unlike past mass extinctions the speed at which species are disappearing from the terrain plays a crucial role death came over a period of 20,000-100,000 years which in geological terms is just a wink of time For longterm condition changes like those nature seems to be able to adapt through mutations or migrations.  Animals that survived the direct impact only had a period of a few weeks or months left As vegetation was erased on the darkening earth the large herbivores were left with no food to survive Although today's situation is far less dramatic in terms of natural disasters claiming natural habitat for cultivation food shortage is a crucial factor But is the current situation really comparable to the previous five mass extinctions?   The absolute numbers of all extinct animal and plant species have so far been comparably low just 1-2 percent of all species have disappeared and this value refers to the 1.9 million known species new species are being discovered almost every day somewhere in the world Estimates of the actual number of species range from 3.6 million to well over 100 million 1-2 percent loss of known species appears to be rather small compared to 75-96 percent loss in the previous five mass extinctions But is it that easy? Is it possible to compare the historical mass extinctions with the ongoing and expected losses in the Anthropocene? As for the role of human beings, another value is crucial: the rate of disappearance of species, that is the extinction rate According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): "The rate of extinction is currently 1,000 to 10,000 times the value of the normal rate of extinction." The normal value is the rate that would occur without the influence of man up to five species a year a being lost forever a dozen species disappear from our planet – every day According to recent studies by Dr Gerardo Ceballos from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico "Up to 50 percent of all individual animals both endangered and not endangered were lost over the past decades." Ceballos claims that a third of all species currently losing population are not listed as endangered – a „biological annihilation“ Whether or not the sixth mass extinction is already underway or about to start therefore claiming the dawn of the Anthropocene The massive extinction of species is undermining the biological diversity and If we don't want to destroy what has been evolved over billions of years on earth and be responsible for what we created the term genocide we need to act without further hesitance.  The task is difficult as it relies on a complex set of measures which concern our economy It is a race against extinction facing the dilemma between our current understanding of economic development and preserving nature and species.  In this developing story, we at FAIRPLANET will look into the complex problem of saving the species of Rhinoceros.  In particular, we will follow the work of the non-profit organization Hemmersbach RHINO FORCE operating on the ground in South Africa and Zimbabwe Although there are more endangered species than this prehistoric mammal Experts say they might be extinct within a decade With the vast majority of the rhino's global population living in Africa Wildlife has disappeared in most parts of the world But if we don't succeed to protect these animals and support local communities to make a better living by benefiting from wildlife at the same time this iconic creature will be lost forever – and with it the opportunity to create a sustainable future for communities in Africa whose biggest asset may be their wildlife Credits: Mass Extinction illustration by the World Science Festival / Visual.ly  Moab Sun News still remembers the feeling of his first time climbing in Kane Creek at eight years old– nervous and excited all at once.   It’s that feeling that drives him to create that experience for others with his independently owned rock climbing and canyoneering guiding business that offers a friendly experience in Canyon Country.  “The most comfortable I feel is on the rock,” Odenthal said I can share that with others and never get burned out.” stories and conversations has kept Windgate Adventures strong for 14 years.  learning to enjoy the heat of the summer as a river rat jobs working at Five Ten remotely and guiding locally and his love of climbing led Odenthal to start his own guiding business in Moab–though he didn’t always see the success at first.  “I can’t run a business,” he remembers thinking He originally started as a photography tour company–Odenthal feels connected to using the medium of photography to experience the landscape.  He’s grateful to other business owners who have helped show him the ropes such as Faye Hutchins]of Spa Moab and Indigo Alley and Angela Houghton He reflected on dynamic business breakfasts at Red Rock Bakery sharing tips and tricks from others starting their own business.  so I don’t have anyone to fall back on,” Odenthal said of his need to reach out for advice Odenthal offers advice for business owners: maintain self-motivation A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz and stay aligned to the reason and goals for starting the business.  Odenthal has learned he needs to take care of the community resource of the landscape more and more people have come to enjoy Moab’s surroundings; it’s important to minimize the impacts of recreation to keep the landscape beautiful.  Focusing on “Leave No Trace” and climbing-specific ethics he’s hoping to recreate responsibly and teach others to do the same.  He also contributes to establishing and maintaining climbing routes and cleaning routes are all part of the task of tending the source of his business: the availability of rock climbing He does a majority of those services with money from his own pocket.  What makes a Windgate Adventures tour special Odenthal has some clients that have been his friends for decades.  Odenthal seeks to build connections with visitors from around the world becoming friends over the course of a six hour trip Generously sharing his life and genuinely caring about theirs helps him make long-lasting relationships.  they appreciate it even more,” Odenthal said of his clients.  Book a tour with Windgate Adventures online at Windgateadventures.com or call (435) 260-9802 or find them on social media.  InfraRed Capital Partners, an infrastructure private equity firm, today announced the launch of Public Safety Towers an independent tower company in the United States led by Chris Odenthal Public Safety Towers (PSTC) is headquartered in Carlsbad (near San Diego) California and currently owns an initial seed portfolio of telecommunication towers located in California the company will construct new towers in areas that are currently underserved PSTC focuses on servicing commercial data consumption as well as providing reliable wireless coverage to first responders PSTC will provide improved and more reliable wireless cellular coverage to serve local communities who rely on connectivity to perform critical jobs PSTC’s management team has previously built and operated telecommunications and public safety enterprises in the United States Chris Odenthal serves as Chief Operating Officer of InfraRed Capital’s PSTC leading the day-to-day operations of the company Odenthal spent over 7 years with Jacobs (NYSE: J) and implementation of a dedicated public safety land mobile radio (LMR) and 4G LTE data network Additionally, Odenthal has experience building the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) which will improve radio and broadband communication for police and other emergency responders in Los Angeles County InfraRed Capital is committing $50m of equity to PSTC for its initial roll-out of towers PSTC’s financial advisor was Houlihan Lokey PSTC’s legal advisor was Greenberg Traurig InfraRed Capital’s legal advisors were Phillips Lytle and Procopio InfraRed Capital Partners is headquartered in London UK and manages $10bn+ of equity capital in multiple private and listed funds which is the institutional alternatives and asset management business of Sun Life Financial InfraRed focuses on value-add infrastructure investing globally, in both greenfield and brownfield assets. Particularly, the firm invests across the social, transportation, and renewable energy infrastructure sectors. Within digital infrastructure, InfraRed most recently made a £125m commitment to Complete Technology Group (CTG) and website in this browser for the next time I comment Karl Odenthal retired from Aiken Public Safety this month after nearly three decades of service He is now taking up a job with the City of Aiken as a code enforcer 14 when he officially retired from the Aiken Department of Public Safety after 28 years of service Former officer Karl Odenthal retired this month from Aiken Public Safety Here he is sat in the back of his police vehicle before turning it back over to the agency Karl Odenthal at the recent first practice for the new Volunteer Mounted Unit He was one of the most recognizable faces from the department He now has taken a job as a City of Aiken code enforcer A celebration honoring former Aiken Public Safety officer Karl Odenthal was held at the agency headquarters on Laurens Street on Friday afternoon who has known Odenthal since he began his career as an officer in Aiken spoke highly of his friend and gave him a big hug during the ceremony Former Aiken Public Safety officer Karl Odenthal was honored for his 28 year career with the agency on Friday afternoon Here he posed for a picture with former chief J Karl Odenthal has been an officers with ADPS for 28 years and he has finally decided to retire One positive aspect the City of Aiken has over many other places is a well-respected police force working hand-in-hand with the community to make it a place many like to call home The Aiken Department of Public Safety has worked hard to keep residents safe over the years and the department's great works can be attributed to the officers and firefighters working to make a difference One of those officers just turned in his badge this month after 28 years of service with the force who many consider to be a household name in Aiken sat down with Aiken Standard to discuss his long career in law enforcement and what his future holds "I am truly grateful for the amazing career I've had at Aiken Public Safety," Odenthal said It is one of the best decisions I ever made in my life." His career started with Public Safety in 1990 after former Chief J Carrol Busbee decided to give him a chance Odenthal managed to work his way up to the position of lieutenant with the agency before deciding to try a different route working security at the Savannah River Site "(SRS security) just wasn't for me," he said "The pace was so much slower than what I was used to and I ended up deciding to come back (to Public Safety) I had to start from the bottom again and work my way back up There were guys who I trained that were now over me." Odenthal managed to work his way back up to lieutenant and there he remained for the rest of his career with Public Safety Many people may not realize that Aiken Public Safety is unique from other law enforcement agencies because Public Safety officers are required to be both a police officer and a firefighter this is an aspect to the job Odenthal found to be exhilarating "That really gave the agency an element of excitement – it was more than I bargained for it was really something that was an added bonus," he said "To be able to do both (police and fire) and experience something where most people are running from a burning building and you're going toward it you're in a position to really help people I didn't know how or what profession I was going to do it in but I knew I wanted to make a difference in people's lives and my own." Aiken Public Safety Chief Charles Barranco said doing this type of work isn't for everyone and it truly takes a special person who is called to do it – like Karl Odenthal Odenthal said he lucked out because being a police officer and firefighter is something that ran in his family "I have an older brother who is a retired assistant (police) chief out in Spokane Washington – another brother who is an Illinois state trooper and another who is an MP in the Army," he said "This is just something that just sort of ran in my blood coming to Aiken Public Safety melded both those worlds together." Nearly three decades as a police officer and firefighter gave Odenthal numerous memories to take with him into his retirement but he said there's really only a few things he's truly going to miss "I've had so many great memories," Odenthal laughed "There will always be those calls that stick out in your mind but I think the big thing for me was just the relationships that I developed with people in the neighborhoods My early days in the Smith-Hazel neighborhood and playing basketball with the people outside is something I'll always remember The community was so accepting and just accepted me for who I was I just happened to be an officer who liked working and playing in the same community Odenthal also said he really enjoyed being a resource for people in the community who came to him needing help He liked the feeling of accomplishment he felt helping those people find the answers they needed I would always try to help them find what they need," he said "I also loved interacting with business owners in downtown Aiken." Odenthal is not done helping local residents just yet Retiring from Aiken Public Safety is just the first step as he moves into his new role as a City of Aiken code enforcer He will now get the chance to work with former Aiken Public Safety employees Mike Jordan and Teddy Umstead who are currently code enforcers for the city and this is just a good opportunity to continue neighborhood work," Odenthal said "I will still get to make things better for the citizens of Aiken – just on a different level I really planned on working in law enforcement longer but this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up on It might not be there in another five years." Having an influence on so many people's lives in Aiken has allowed Odenthal to make a big impact which he will continue to do in his new career "I'm going to keep going until I just can't go anymore," he said I think (being a code enforcer) is going to be a great opportunity to continue that joy of working with the City of Aiken Odenthal was honored for all his work Friday afternoon during a celebration held at Public Safety headquarters on Laurens Street "While no officer is irreplaceable – it's going to be tough trying to fill (Odenthal's) shoes," Barranco said at the ceremony "We all wish him well in his new career and I appreciate all the fantastic work he has done for this department during his time here." Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: the ecological footprint of maritime shipping is big Read more about IMO 2020. Talking to shipping company representatives or other participants in the maritime trade chain these days means experiencing an industry in turmoil „Only a few days to IMO 2020“ is one of the most widely used phrases IMO 2020 is a directive of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which is due to enter into force in January 2020. These new set of rules require that the sulfur content of marine fuels - previously heavy fuel oil in particular - be limited to 0.5 percent a limit of 3.5 percent was in force; on average Sulfur oxides in the air are responsible for acid rain but also for poor air quality leading to asthma or even premature death The potential for reducing pollution in the shipping industry is huge. Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest luxury cruise operator, emitted nearly 10 times more sulphur oxide (SOx) around European coasts than all 260 million European cars in 2017, a new analysis by sustainable transport group Transport & Environment reveals.  more stringent sulfur limitation was not easily enforced against the opposing shipping industry The shipping companies basically have three adaptation strategies left: The installation of "scrubbers" is expensive And for the global use of alternative propulsion systems in the short term probably only LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) is really an alternative since there are already some ships using it both "scrubbers" and LPG engines require conversions that reduce the loading space of ships Therefore, the industry expects that the majority of ship owners will simply use low-sulfur fuels. That should lead to additional costs of 60 billion dollars, as Edmund Hughes, head of Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency at IMO‘s Marine Environment Division, suggests. The increasing demand for low-sulfur fuels and the resulting increase in prices will also have consequences for other industries The heavy oil used to date is a residual oil which is left over from processing crude oil to diesel As a result of the additional demand in the shipping industry the fuels are likely to become more expensive for trucks and airplanes accordingly Demand (and prices) for heavy oil therefore is expected to shrink It could then be used cheaper and more extensively in other industries such as cement production or power generation Whether this is a sustainable development in the long term remains to be seen IMO 2020 is a step in the right direction the urgent problem of reducing greenhouse gases is not addressed with IMO 2020 container ships and cruising vessels accounts for more than 2 percent of the global emissions of greenhouse gases - a similar proportion to aviation And it is expected to rise in the near future "As Arctic sea ice retreats and more ships begin charting previously unreachable ocean Greenpeace International political advisor Not binding enough, not ambitious enough, no agreed timetable for greenhouse gas reductions, and halving them by 2050 is much too late, those are the allegations of numerous environmental NGOs in response to IMO 2050. And which propulsion systems should ensure a complete decarbonization in the near future is completely unclear at present.So the industry's response to the climate crisis is not IMO 2020, but IMO 2050 This agreement aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050 (of 2008 levels) and ie a reduction in emissions from burning fossil fuels to zero Currently, only LPG seems feasible, but its climate-effecting potential is in question due to its methane content. Methane has a much greater negative impact on the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, albeit degrading faster. And in use it can cause „methane slipping“, when unburnt LPG escapes through a ship‘s exhaust into the atmosphere, wiping out any emission reduction advances. Test series with battery-powered electric and hybrid engines and with hydrogen-based fuel cells are well advanced Variants that use methanol or ammonia are also being tested the oldest of all types of propulsion at sea Ship prototypes using towing kites or Flettner rotors are developed. Japanese researchers have even developed a sailing ship that not only uses the power of the wind to propel it, but also produces hydrogen while driving.  And a remarkable trend to revitalize maritime trade with classic sailing ships comes as a speculation on a time when globalization is replaced by localization again, where cheap mass-produced goods are no longer imported from China but produced by domestic 3D printers at home instead - and the remainder part of sea freight is transported with zero emissions by sailing ship.  And even an introdution of a speed limit for ocean-going ships as recently suggested by France's President Macron could almost immediately have a positive effect on greenhouse gas emissions reduction without any need for retrofitting the assessment of IMO's climate and environmental efforts is ambiguous The implementation of IMO 2020 despite considerable resistance from shipowners and logistics companies gives hope for a smoother and consistent implementation of IMO 2050 one question mark remains behind the effects of sulfur limitation on climate The desperately needed shift towards climate-friendly shipping is therefore likely to depend on achieving the goals of IMO 2020 and IMO 2050 not just as quickly as possible but also as simultaneously as possible that is to use classic sailing ships instead of container giants these initiatives have always been enthusiastic projects started by sailing addicts and alikes it does look completely utopian to do the entire freight transport of our globalized world again by sailing ships in times of climate crisis and the urgent need for emission-free transport there are now a number of projects that want to revive this type of maritime trade in a professional adapted ship designs and crowdfunding campaignes etc.) The most ambitious is likely to be a Dutch project called EcoClipper that wants to build a fleet of cargo sailing ships that will regularly serve the world completely free of emissions FAIRPLANET had a word with EcoClipper-founder Jorne Langelaan Fairplanet: What is the idea of EcoClipper Ecoclipper is the idea of using sailing vessels to bring about emission free transport of goods and people and I am still shareholder of Fairtransport who has two ships running now For more than 20 years I have been involved with several sail cargo operations In the late 90s I started my cargo sailing career with the cargo schooner Avontuur developing a prototype of a ship which will be built serially in one or more ship yards We are currently in the stage of organizing the investors campaign for next year with a goal to lay the keel of the first ship by the end of 2020 From there on we plan a swift exponential growth of the fleet Of course it is not so much about the ships but about offering the very needed opportunity of world wide emission free transport and travel The Tres Hombres was possibly the first classic sailing ship to resume cargo sailing according to traditional customs in our modern times Fairtransport‘s first ship was Tres Hombres I could see the hull of the Tres Hombres sitting in a part of the harbour there I always thought that this beautiful ship would be a great sailing ship It was kind of a boy‘s dream to purchase that ship Andreas Lackner and me bought it in the name of Tres Hombres S.A And together with about 150 volunteers from about 15 countries we totally refitted her within two and a half years People at that time thought we were totally crazy That was because all the problems of climate change and the need for emissions free transport was not of any concern for most people the first thing I did was to approach different people from the Dutch maritime network who are already involved in commercial sailing to ask them to become advisers of this new emissions free shipping company – and they agreed But the idea of EcoClipper now is to build new ships Yes. We‘re currently talking with a couple of ship yards in Europe about serial building of these EcoClippers Because with Tres Hombres and Nordlys we‘ve got old boats with old hulls and you can do transport with them of course so you have to gear your business plans to watch the old design of these ships Whereas now we can make our own decision about the size But you can order as many identical EcoClippers as you actually need So the EcoClipper500 is the prototype you‘re planning to scale up later This is a ship that will be able to carry about five hundred tons of cargo and that‘s about ten times more than most of the sailing cargo ships that are operational right now But it‘s still very small compared to traditional motor shipping And it‘s still very small compared to the sailing ships that were sailing at the peak of the age of sail around 1900 The reason to choose a small ship is that you can build more of those ships with a given amount of capital You can send those ships on different routes at the same time whereas with only 1-2 big ships you couldn‘t really do that And the other reason of course is that we start from zero So you expect this type of transport to see a renaissance… anybody who understands climate science should agree that we need to go back (or forward) to emission free shipping methods Until now we have proof of thousands of years that this can be done with sailing vessels There are about five to ten projects in the world now and they‘ve all just started a few years ago The big container ships nowadays calculate their load in standardized container size TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) the biggest ships carrying about 20,000 TEU Do you calculate with TEU at EcoClipper as well EcoClippers will not be fitted to carry containers But they can carry an equivalent of about twenty containers That will be mostly pallets and barrels and bags We already have a couple of exporters and importers and also brokers who are interested in working together with EcoClipper to transport their goods You‘re planning to operate three major routes What kind of goods are you carrying from the carribean to Europe EcoClipper is operating three major sailing routes We will transport goods which need to be transported because of their climatic origin But the EcoClipper prototype is a passager-cargo-ship So about half of the revenue will come from passagers We will be able to carry up to twelve passagers and 36 trainees And we‘ll have twelve crew members per ship When will the first EcoClipper be ready for business The ship yards we‘re talking with tell us now that they should be able to build a ship like this in 12-14 months It depends how successful we are in terms of capital funding We are preparing a crowdfunding campaign for next year will be more focused on enlarging our network in order to be able to launch a larger crowdfunding campaign in summer 2020 How much money do you need for the first ship because we are waiting for answers from different ship yards how many EcoClippers do you want operational in that is at least fifty percent less emissions from shipping In my opinion the first action to be taken to reach that is to have a lot less shipping meaning that we should strive for more local production about one third of everything that is shipped is fossil fuels; it‘s coal And all that should not be shipped anymore because we should keep it in the ground for the sake of our climate and for the sake of future generations Every ship that is newly built now should be emissions free People must realize to what task we‘re up for if we want to shift our economies worldwide towards zero emissions It took about 80 years for the transition from sail to steam in the 19th century And now we have about 30 years to meet the goals of IMO 2050 regulations that is to change an entire industry that has become way larger than in the 19th century Jorne Langelaan was one of the co-founders and is still shareholder of Fairtransport who has two ships (Tres Hombres and Nordlys) currently running For more than 20 years he has been involved with several sail cargo operations In the late 90s with the cargo schooner Avontuur In 2018 he founded EcoClippers based in Alkmaar Rhino horn confiscated at Hong Kong customs; Credit: Government Hong Kong ..Africa's rhino poaching problem is multifaceted The interplay of its demand and supply side is fueled by poverty we're looking into the structure of organised poaching One investigative source is Al Jazeera's documentary “The Poacher's Pipeline“ which is based on undercover research carried out in November 2016 they unfold a rare inside view of the structure of the syndicates that are behind the current rhino poaching crisis in Africa and Asia FAIRPLANET spoke with Vince Barkas and Sarah Stoner about the complexity of the poaching problem and trafficking of rhino horn examining the findings of Al Jazeera's research.  Barkas is a South African an entrepreneur with a military background who founded ProTrack, a private anti-poaching unit operating mainly around Kruger National Park in South Africa closely collaborating with Hemmersbach Rhino Force Stoner is senior intel analyst at the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) which describes its mission to help disrupt transnational organised wildlife crime by exposing criminal networks and the corruption that enables them to flourish by empowering – or pressuring –  governments to enforce their laws How is the structure of the supply-and-demand-chain between Africa and Asia What does the 'Poacher's Pipeline' look like from your perspective VINCE BARKAS: “For giving a brief overview of the situation if you're on the ground to tackling those syndicates things get a little more complicated you're in an environment of different types of poachers You've got the – let's say – big game poachers with the rhino currently being their main target This is indeed pretty much controlled by the big syndicates Meat poachers basically hunt in order to feed themselves and their families and to sell some meat at the local markets to make a living They usually go for Impala or kudu or those kinds of animals Most of them are not involved in rhino poaching although they might have a certain knowledge of the terrain and the local settings.“ at Greater Kruger Park you're presumably dealing with level 1 and 2 of the poacher's pipeline you usually have a team of two or three poachers some of them are trackers or putting up snares Some of these groups are exceptionally well equipped not only in terms of guns but also high tech gadgetry We recently found quite modern night vision goggles in a bag a poacher threw away when we went after him.“ Is it a phenomenon of the poor in the local communities around the National Park VINCE BARKAS: “Most of the poachers come from communities that are directly adjacent to the Greater Kruger the border of the Kruger to Mozambique is somewhat better guarded they now try to bypass the Kruger and get in from the west which adjoin the Kruger national park and conjointly form the Greater Kruger Between those private concessions and the national park VINCE BARKAS: “We have not always had access to all private reserves in the past so we had to let go of the poachers we were chasing Some suspect that a number of them are actually cooperating with the poachers.“ VINCE BARKAS: “There's a link between the poachers and the syndicates a contact person who's in touch with the local communities  who supplies the gangs with weapons and ammunition and who passes on the poached horn and pays the poachers Level 3 is the exporter that gets the poached goods out of the country the pipeline currently passes through Mozambique depending on how individual countries adapt their law enforcement it is mainly Chinese or Vietnamese nationals who control the pipeline." Several organisations have recently discovered that the syndicates are trying to get around the export hurdles imposed by the law enforcement authorities, especially customs, by processing the horn in South Africa before sending it to Asia They process it to small pieces of jewellery or to powder into toothpaste in order to fool customs.” it is level 4 of the pipeline that receives the goods “We at the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) understand how organised the transnational trade in rhino horn is and that offenders operating higher up the trade chain (levels 4 & 5) have the resources and influence to smuggle goods from Africa to Asia These individuals should be targeted as it will have a much greater impact on illegal trade." A great deal of trust plays a vital role. Horn, which is destined for the Vietnamese market, will be forwarded to the respective regions as soon as it arrives in Vietnam. For the WJC as well as for the law enforcement it is very difficult to track. For goods that are to be forwarded to China, however, we have identified the Vietnamese border town of Nhi Khe as a hub.“ Do we have to look at China and Vietnam as two different markets SARAH STONER: “The situation in Nhi Khe is quite a unique one due to its proximity to the Chinese border which reduces efforts required from both buyers and sellers to come together to do their business The market appeared to be dictated by a drive to supply Chinese clientele with processed rhino horn goods in particular Although Vietnam is known to be a primary destination for rhino horn it is also clearly a highly significant transit area for products ultimately bound for China We found out that research relying on a review of trafficking patterns and expatriate involvement in Africa may have overstated the significance of the domestic Vietnamese market the importance of traditional Chinese medicine might be overstated as well since only 5 pieces (from about 8,000) of illegally traded wildlife parts we documented were offcuts of rhino horn the use of horn as a status symbol seems to play a much bigger role than previously thought.“ "The importance of traditional Chinese medicine might be overstated – the use of horn as a status symbol seems to play a much bigger role than previously thought.“ What else do these two markets have in common corruption is a significant influencing factor facilitating illegal wildlife crime on both sides of the border – and all along the pipeline Indications of corruption were apparent during our investigations including the reported bribery of local and provincial government officials by traders in Nhi Khe to ensure protection; the bribery of Vietnamese Customs officials to allow the smuggling of wildlife into China and traders happening to have prior knowledge of police inspections the absence of effective law enforcement intervention is a crucial enabling factor Without truly tackling this issue of corruption translators appear to play a key facilitating role as they are actually enabling communication between sellers and buyers they were mostly women of Vietnamese origin And since they usually have family bounds to the offenders they seem to have a profound and in-depth knowledge of the syndicate's activities If we could take these translators out of the system that would be a severe blow to the pipeline family bonds are very important to the illegal trade of wildlife goods between China and Vietnam many shops in China are owned by Vietnamese nationals associated with family connections to Nhi Khe which helps legitimise transport of those goods Or the use of Chinese bank accounts by Vietnamese nationals to circumvent Vietnamese financial monitoring systems Not to mention the use of Chinese social media platforms which turned out to be very difficult to monitor.“ the WJC handed over a massive file of evidence to the Vietnamese authorities last year SARAH STONER: “During our undercover investigation in Vietnam over a period of 12 months our team of investigators witnessed widespread illegal trade of ‘raw’ rhino horn and ‘worked’ products We observed rhino horns and products estimated to equate to 579 rhinos with an estimated street value of $42 million This evidence was forwarded to the Vietnamese authorities. In addition, we recently had an open hearing in The Hague about these issues, and we published our WJC report “Black Business: Illegal Rhino Horn Trade Dynamics in Nhi Khe which describes the dynamics of rhino horn trafficking in Vietnam and the fluctuations of the value of raw rhino horn presented to our undercover operatives during the course of our field investigations.“  Do you think you can handle the poaching problem with law enforcement alone This is why WJC also works with grassroots NGOs like "Education for Nature" in Vietnam but also with other organisations elsewhere Our goal is to disrupt organised crime that is facilitating transnational illegal trade Law enforcement alone cannot solve this problem but bringing offenders to justice is crucial to creating much-needed deterrence which should ultimately result in behavioural change.“ "We need to reconnect local communities with their original wildlife a connection which they have lost through the influence of colonialism and neocolonialism People need to see their wildlife as their heritage again." VINCE BARKAS: “We have a similar goal in South Africa We need to reconnect local communities with their original wildlife People need to see their wildlife as their heritage again If you live in bitter poverty in the villages around Kruger Park and you don't have enough money to feed your family you do not see the rhino as a wonderful animal to protect but as an opportunity to get yourself and your family out of poverty – with just one shot if I grew up in one of those villages in Mozambique where people are living in poverty to an extent we cannot even imagine and someone offered me a few thousand dollars for a horn BILLINGS — It was a light blue cargo bike branded 'spicy curry' that helped Billings resident Kevin Odenthal take the leap to sell his car and commit to a daily bike commute it's just about extending what I already do," Odenthal said "I can get almost everywhere on a bike in about the same amount of time it takes to drive." Odenthal's bike is designed to carry cargo allowing him to make trips to Costco and the grocery store but it does give you more power for each pedal stroke it might double the power of your pedal stroke or it might do four times the power of your pedal stroke," Odenthal said a Billings-based bike shop celebrating its 50th year in the community next year The Spoke Shop is seeing a boom in e-bike business "Five years ago people came in and we said ‘hey you should try one of these e-bikes’ and they’d say where they come in and go ‘where are all the e-bikes?’ So it’s changed significantly," Cromwell said Cromwell says e-bikes make up a significant part of The Spoke Shop's business the global e-bike market was around $16.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $40 billion by 2030 They already have established customer bases in Europe and New Zealand and the fastest growing markets are in Asia and Africa "We expected the growth because we were told by the industry that this is the next big thing And if you want to be part of the next big thing We just had no idea how big that was going to be," Cromwell said E-bikes are attracting consumers mostly interested in recreation and Cromwell says they're making a big stride in accessibility especially for people who are getting older I’ve got a million stories of people going ‘oh my god I feel like a kid again,’ and that’s what makes them awesome.” e-bikes are helping people re-think their commute—whether the motivation is to save on gas money "I was already making this transition before gas prices went up Odenthal says Billings has made big steps in becoming more bike-friendly with more extensive networks of trails and an increasing courtesy between drivers and bicyclists Cromwell says if you're interested in trying an e-bike yourself head on down to the shop and he will help you out "There was this crazy bike boom during COVID e-bikes were gaining momentum before COVID and we expect that to continue pretty much forever It really is the next big thing," Cromwell said He should have planted his seedlings already those used to be the most important plants for him and his family But the rainy season has not yet started in Burkina Faso he might lose his seedlings due to another long dry spells which might occur shortly after planting the seedlings wouldn't make it to full maturity until the end of rainy season the onset of the rainy season has shifted by an average of three weeks" Millions of fellow African farmers don't really know it anymore these are the millions of small-scale farmers struggling to make a living Rainfed agriculture is the main source of income and the main driver of economic growth in Africa Unlike almost every other region in the world the crop production in the sub-saharan regions of West Africa remains at the same level as in the 1960s The small increases that occurred where due to an increase in accessible land for agriculture rather than an increase in yield The farmers still rely on traditional knowledge But that does not help them anymore in the light of climate change The delivered processes of sowing and harvest need to be re-adjusted And they are reluctant to cultivate new varieties that are said to adapt better to the changing conditions because they are afraid to end up in dependency to the new suppliers – quite a reasonable concern But to rely on the traditional varieties is becoming more and more like a lottery game And since weather phenomena like heavy floods and droughts are likely to intensify one of the consequences for the farmers is expected to be an exacerbation of land degradation especially a continuous depletion of soil nutrients which will lower crop yields And the soil fertility is expected to decrease even further due to those new erratic climate conditions applying the latest technologies and approaches in the field of agricultural water management are vital for agricultural development and thus food security only those strategies which require little resources in terms of labor and money have a chance to be used by a large number of farmers "What those farmers need the most is a reliable prediction of when the rain will come" “Knowing when the rainy season starts is key no matter what variety of seedlings is used.” after achieving a masters degree in Physics at the University of Ouagadougou and an engineer degree in Agro météorology from AGRHYMET Regional Center in Niamey which is a specilaized institution of the Permanent Interstates Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) Moussa Waongo went to Germany to achieve his PhD in Natural Science He applied at the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMK-IFU) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen One of his lecturers remembers Waongo as a very talented young scientist he always had its practical application in mind the question 'How does that knowledge help me and my fellow farmers and neighbors in Burkina Faso?'” So it is not surprising that Wanogo's PhD thesis provided a method to derive optimal planting times for farmers in West Africa And he learned about a project that could truly be a game changer as it could – in a few years time – revolutionize the weather forecast in Africa See next chapter “Cell Phones for Weather Forecast” in this dossier Moussa Waongo was awarded the "Outstanding Student Poster Award 2014" by the European Geoscience Union (EGU) Now Waongo works as a meteorologist at the University of Ouagadougou He became head of the agrarian climatology department at the national weather service in Burkina Faso But there is something more important than awards and medals Safe harvests mean food security for all of us Most of those who are heading towards the stunning mountain lakes start in Huaraz Just about an hour by car and more than 1000 meters uphill separate the tranquil Andean town from the glaciers leads visitors up to the "Palcacocha Lagoon" Saúl Luciano Lliuya has traveled a long way to say this line the Peruvian farmer and mountaineer appears as plaintiff representatives of the German utility RWE sat down he fears for his hometown; in Germany he hopes for justice And he's ready to stand up – like David against Goliath - and demand just that: justice At the foot of the "white mountain range," as the Peruvians call it Thousands could fall victim to a huge flood including Saúl Luciano Lliuya and his neighbors It's due to global warming and to those who cause it the glaciers melt in the Andes and elsewhere The white of the mountain peaks has turned grey The melting water causes the water level of the glacier lakes to rise permanently are getting loose and drop into the swollen lakes the water would irresistably roll downwards the densely populated Huaraz would have nothing to fight the water masses There is an early warning system – in theory climate change is first and foremost a social question." The company is thousands of kilometers away from the Andean city And even if RWE's emissions are fueling global warming the company can not be prosecuted for potential damage to somewhere as far away as Peru But that is precisely what this unprecedented case is all about A verdict might fill the gap between the cause and effect of climate change The argument goes like this: First the temperatures rise And by burning coal RWE contributed significantly to that Around half a percent of all historical greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to the German utility Saúl Luciano Lliuya therefore not only calls RWE to take responsibility RWE should also cover half a percent of the costs of protection measures in his home town Now it is being negotiated at a higher level the case could become a role model worldwide is expecting plenty of lawsuits around the world that could bring companies to court Cases such as the one of Saúl Luciano Lliuya are new for example in private and international law but the complaint against RWE is basically about a neighborhood dispute between two neighbors who couldn't be more unequal you assisted Saúl Luciano Lliuya in formulating scientific and legal arguments against RWE Noah Walker-Crawford: The court dismissed the case due to legal technicalities This way it avoided addressing the issue of substance - whether an emitter such as RWE can be held legally responsible for the impacts of climate change The fact that the appellate court has chosen to reopen the case indicates that the lower court may have not sufficiently considered the suit The higher court is reexamining the case from the beginning Ideally the court will take this case seriously and examine the evidence This would give Luciano Lliuya a fair chance to argue why RWE should be held responsible for its contribution to climate change he will travel to Germany to defend his case in the first scheduled hearing he already considers it a victory that he could bring his initiative for climate justice to an international stage Noah Walker-Crawford is an anthropologist and advisor to Saúl Luciano Lliuya He assisted the claimant and his lawyers in formulating the scientific and legal arguments against RWE Many experts say we will not meet the 2-degree goal and the rise of the seas can't be stopped anymore Harald Kunstmann is a professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Campus Alpin Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research (KIT/IMK-IFU) and Deputy Director Head of Division “Regional Climate Systems” and Chair for "Regional Climate and Hydrology" at Augsburg University the debate on climate change is usually shortened to the 2-degree target and the rise of the sea level because it shows the desired goal as well as one of the biggest problems in a compact and vivid way The 2-degree goal has made it into the final document of the World Climate Conference 2015 in Paris And there is also the even more ambitious goal of the 1.5 degrees up to the year 2100 we should be aware that these targets are based on the data from the beginning of industrialization we have already reached an increase of one degree So only 0.5 to 1 degrees to the end of the century You emphasize the fact that this is a global mean Above the great land masses the rise in temperature is higher than above the surface of the sea The water masses of the oceans absorb a large part of the heat and water reacts much slower to temperature fluctuations compared to the air summer heat is much better to bear at the coast because the water then has a cooling effect we are assuming that the sea level will rise by about half a meter at a temperature rise of 2 degrees It is said that this magnitude could still be handled What is often ignored here is that the melting of the pole caps is only partly responsible for the rise of the sea Another part is due to the so-called "thermal expansion" which means that water increases in volume as it heats up but also the entire water of the oceans expands - and the sea level rises as a result especially for people who live directly by the sea Many of the global megacities are located in close proximity to the coast or at large river deltas But not only the cities are threatened by storm floods but also indirectly through the salinisation of near-coastal agricultural areas which has consequences for agriculture and therefore for the food security of many the extreme weather phenomena are likely to intensify both in terms of extreme" droughts and extreme precipitation." And these weather phenomena are far more difficult to predict the beginning of the rainy season has shifted by about 3 weeks in the last 20 years This is a great problem for the farmers; They risk their crops if they sow too early or too late - and traditional methods to find the optimal time to sow are no longer valid what are the main causes of climate warming the effects of carbon dioxide and methane are well known and proven These two gases spread very quickly in the atmosphere resulting in a warming of the lower parts of the atmosphere which is often ignored in the public debate is the increasing large-scale change of the land surface which can also result in changes in the regional climate You mean the sealing of green areas by concrete you should rather see it on a larger scale: the conversion of forest areas into agricultural areas or the massive urbanization as in today's China or India the question of what happens with the solar radiation is crucial they are partly reflected directly and partly absorbed and converted into heat A well-known phenomenon: if you wear a black shirt it gets hotter than when you wear a white shirt - because black absorbs sunrays much more than white does they are partly reflected and partly result in the evaporation of water and therefore has a cooling effect locally It's the same with the moisture in the soil; It regulates how much energy is converted into perceptible heat and how much in evaporation this natural warming regulation just doesn't work.That is why near-natural land surfaces are so important An intact vegetation with regulating soil moisture can have a great positive effect on the local climate Despite all the scientific findings and the countless publications there is simply no trend reversal in emissions we had a level of emissions worldwide that exceeded even the most pessimistic scenario of our estimates." This would mean a rise in sea level by several meters At the World Climate Conference in Paris in 2015 at the World Climate Conference nobody was specific about how all these goals should be achieved All of the previous climate protection inputs from the contributing countries are not yet enough to reach 2° C they're more likely to end up at 3° C in 2100 there was a discussion in Germany about diesel engines Their nitrogen oxide emission is highly problematic There have been (and still are) considerations to prohibit diesel engines completely in the cities but it would be "radical" – and any politician who wants to be re-elected will be careful to tackle something radical we want to reduce our emissions by 40% compared to the level of 1990 And this is only because the reference year 1990 was very advantageous due to the abolition of large industries in the former socialist East-Germany In order to reach the remaining 13% over the next three years major uncomfortable political decisions would have to be made that would challenge us personally at our daily routine - a giant leap These are indeed very pessimistic prospects We must recognize that climate change has long been underway It is therefore important to promote both climate protection and adaptation to climate change just like the United Nations' “Green Climate Fund” "Climate protection and adaptation measures must be accompanied by measures for poverty reduction and education." This is exactly what the world climate conference's final paper does They were aware that one can not be achieved without the other You once referred to climate research as a battle of material At our 'Campus Alpin' of the KIT in Garmisch-Partenkirchen we use extremely powerful computers to calculate the highest-possible climate predictions for different regions worldwide we divide the atmosphere and the floor into grids we calculate the values at the center or at the corner points The number of variables to be calculated also increases with the quality of resolution In each of these cuboids we calculate the changes for a minute into the future - up to 100 years in advance So you can imagine the necessary computer performance here This is why energy consumption is also a huge issue for us At our institute in Garmisch-Partenkirchen we have an annual electricity bill of 10,000 euros the weather services in developing countries can only dream of When we completed one of our research projects in West Africa we were unable to send our data via the Internet The data volumes were just too big for the local networks We had to bring the hard disks physically – by car - to the data center for climate research in Hamburg Is it true that the number of weather stations worldwide decreases despite all efforts to improve climate estimates since the importance of climate research is now clear to everyone the number of automatically measuring weather stations is more or less constant but the number of stations that are not working automatically decreases worldwide This is probably due to the fact that the gauges are often installed in remote areas where data is collected manually only and at intervals of days or weeks and the necessary maintenance work is carried out only irregularly - if at all Many weather services are investing less and less in their infrastructure because they are hoping to switch to satellite data or radar measurements in the near future But that would only be indirect measurements The direct precipitation measurement with rain gauges on the ground is the backbone of meteorology and climate research the decline in such monitoring stations is dramatic the foundations for proper research are lacking both for weather forecasts and for long-term climate projections Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and is regarded as the economic powerhouse of West Africa we are now receiving no more rainfall data at all or the data are no longer collected or simply not passed on; We do not know exactly In 2010 a project called WASCAL was launched WASCALmeans "West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use" It was developed in cooperation with the German Ministry of Education and Research and ten West African partner countries An expertise should be set up in order to better adapt to climate change This includes graduate training (Master and PhD) and various research programs in cooperation with German universities and research institutes We at KIT's 'Campus Alpin' are particularly involved in climate and hydrology research "The aim is to establish and promote a concerted network of universities and weather services in the partner countries This also includes the construction of new measuring stations and IT infrastructure already collected records of all countries will be freely available to the researchers." we have already lost up to half of all animals who shared the planet with us As a result of increasing human expansion and its collateral effects we're looking into the case of the iconic species of the rhinoceros which – living for 50 million years on earth – is now at the forefront of extinction for various reasons a significant decrease in demand for rhino horn and efforts to transform the socio-economic environment in regards to wildlife and communities rhinos will very likely be extinct within the next decade.  Throughout the next year, FairPlanet will tell this developing story from all angles. We will follow the work of the non-profit organisation RHINO FORCE on the ground in South Africa and Zimbabwe as it faces the complex task of saving the rhino and of developing opportunities for local communities to get involved in conservation.  We wanted to have a look at the condition our planet is in and we wanted to shake up and ring alarm bells But at the same time we wanted to present examples that show that not everything is lost yet nor for our children and future generations The 25th edition of the UN Climate Conference in December 2019 gathered representatives from all countries, together with scientists, stakeholders of companies and members of civil society, including many environmental and human rights NGOs.FairPlanet approached the participants before the start of the summit. We asked them about their expectations, hopes and goals. There you can find all currently expected scenarios - from the best case (with committed climate protection policies around the world) to the worst case (with further increasing greenhouse gas emissions) the public is confronted with new horror scenarios of the imminent climate catastrophe Alaska and Canada thaw to a degree that scientists would not have expected until the end of the century The amounts of methane released there are many times more damaging to the climate than carbon dioxide even though it decomposes faster in the atmosphere forest fires are increasing in frequency and intensity worldwide Even in the temperate latitudes of central and northern Europe and even the Arctic Circle devastating forest fires occurred in recent years hurricanes - they all get worse and occur more frequently If we all together in the so-called developed countries do not drastically change our way of life over the next 10 to 20 years human life on our small blue planet could soon come to an end But what is the current status in politics and societies around the globe Portugal or New Zealand are well on the way to bringing their economies to zero emissions But the reality also is: none of the G20 countries are meeting the climate protection commitments they signed at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris In our editorial on the FairPlanet Climate Change Dossier in 2017 we reported US President Trump‘s announcement to withdraw from the Paris Agreement the earliest possible legal date being 4 November 2020 But there are options for a more climate-friendly US policy and they are based on plans for a "Green New Deal" proposed by some Democratic Party presidential candidates We‘ll have a more detailed look at the „Green New Deal“ in our dossier There are also technical innovations that promise to lead to a more climate-friendly way of life New fuels and new ways of producing and storing energy advances in renewable energies and food production We will have a look at these innovations in our dossier it is the millions of young people of the new climate and environmental movements such as Fridays-for-Future or Extinction Rebellion who are taking to the streets around the globe and protesting for their right to a habitable planet They are giving hope to all of us that change is coming So stay tuned for more episodes of our ever developing Climate Change Dossier You could only possibly find these things obscene The only advantage compared to today was that the problems seemed more or less clear cut and we could shield ourselves from them It was also a time when many of us got onto an airplane for the first time because flights finally became affordable Successful holidays were coming back from Alicante with a sexy suntan There was indeed talk of climate change though, for example, when Der Spiegel in 1986 ran a front page with the headline “The climate catastrophe” with a picture of Cologne cathedral half-submerged in water But global warming was always something slowly happening in the background while our minds were more preoccupied with Pershing II missiles Chernobyl and Frankfurt airport’s new runway It was stupid that hardly anyone listened to him the whole Western world descended into a collective frenzy: the Cold War ended the Eastern bloc melted like Arctic ice in the sun And the West German economy rubbed its hands together because the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Communism opened up a whole host of new markets 16 million new consumers went from a planned economy to an industrial one all things that pumped out more and more CO2 "Hardly anyone was thinking about climate change of course." Noel Brown’s window had already closed and the bill came swiftly due The first decade of the new millennium broke all temperature records Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans and Bangladesh was ravaged by natural disasters 2015 and then 2016 were the hottest years since records began This year is likely to continue that trend Climate change is not some crazy plan concocted by bored scholars shortly before falling into a drunken stupor Contrary to what climate-sceptics would have you believe 97% of scientists around the world agree that climate change is real that we are firmly in the middle of it and it is largely driven by our way of life Some even estimate that we have passed the point that Noel Brown pinpointed in the last century The warming has already started releasing methane from the permafrost a gas that has a greater effect on the climate than CO2 there are still those who think it is not too late which could be used to combat the effects of climate change So why does this affect us directly and immediately we have long been concerned with the effects of global warming: storm surges in 2015 in Hamburg the death of the bees and heatwaves are now everyday news And what politicians and “concerned citizens” insist on calling “economic refugees” are in fact climate refugees 21.5 million have been displaced by the climate, according to Greenpeace and a study by Hamburg University scarce food and water and political and social instability exacerbated by extreme weather Maybe it’s because we think someone else will give a damn But we are sold a duff version of saving the climate we pump 906 million tons of CO2 into the air every year: the same as in 2009 "The government can kiss goodbye to climate targets like cutting emissions by 40% by 2020 if we don’t stop using coal." Five of Europe’s ten most damaging coal-fired power stations are still based in Germany We have been warned. Leonardo DiCaprio told us on Oscar night in 2016 Al Gore recently screened the continuation of his “An Inconvenient Truth” Greenpeace protested at the latest G7 summit in Sicily against the policies of industrialised nations who still believes in the fallacy that is clean coal and once claimed China invented climate change Movies like Chasing Ice show how glaciers have receded how the Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting and how flooding and rain are the results And if we want to know more, then all the information is freely available on the internet Some of the links are provided in this text We won’t be able to say we didn’t know what was happening if our children ask us why we didn’t do anything It is now up to us not to be branded Generation Doomsday I have dealt with the subject in our new book “Planet Planlos” which will be published to coincide with October’s climate conference in Bonn It is becoming ever more clear to me that there is only one path open ahead of us: we have to be a part of the change we want to see on this planet It is in the hands of our generation now how life on planet earth will continue Anne Weiss and Stefan Bonner are the authors of one of the decade’s best sellers they have been writing critically and humorously about their contemporaries a look back at the roots of their generation carries an organ donation card and sometimes even hugs trees Stefan Bonner studied in Bonn after it ceased to be the federal capital High-level politics probably always seemed a bit batty to him and as a journalist he wrote for numerous business publications before realising that steady growth on a limited planet doesn’t make any sense More about the authors can be found at www.bonnerweiss.de one crucial – and obvious – factor for endangered animals is to reproduce in order to maintain and expand the size of the population and a viable genetic pool to tab But what conditions are needed to provide an appropriate environment to breed And what if species fail to reproduce in their natural habitat a well-known german veterinarian and expert in assisted reproduction of big mammals. Lüders is an expert on assisted reproduction of large mammals Currently she works as veterinarian at Wuppertal Zoo and at Münster Zoo a global provider of assisted reproduction technologies „When we talk about conservation of species one important factor of course is that the animals breed and reproduce And beside the populations that are in the wild – we call them in situ populations – we also have ex situ populations these are animals that are kept outside their natural habitat born at Alabama’s Montgomery Zoo on June 5 2016 as a result of artificial insemination In order to reproduce these captive populations for example males are not willing to mate or the male is housed in a different zoo we may also use the tool of so-called assisted reproduction Assisted reproduction technologies comprise of a wide variety of tools It starts with assessing the animals with ultrasound and then it goes further to more advanced techniques embryo transfer or in vitro embryo production And these tools can be used to promote the reproduction of the species if there is no natural mating or if the mating partners are not close together It has been postulated for a long time that the assisted reproduction techniques (A.R.T.) should be more implemented for conservation and for reproduction of animals and also for the genetic conservation of certain individuals but yet in wildlife conservation they have been used only as a side tool it's not yet really as researched as it should be It has been used occasionally at large mammals; elephants are a good example we had many births from articifial insemination in elephants in wild fields we had some good results already but it isn't as much used as it is for example in domestic animals or humans. Here the techniques have been studied for a much longer time and much more intensive because domestic animals are easier to handle and there's a big commercial interest as well So it is really urgently necessary to go deeper into the assisted reproduction techniques and to use the possibilities we have to promote populations to grow With the platform ProFetura-Alliance for Wildlife Conservation Breeding we have created an NGO that focuses on advancing the research in reproduction and ART for endangered mammals “ The techniques have mainly been studies for mammals But there are certain methods that work on different types of animals it has just started because the assisted reproduction techniques can only be successfully applied if we know a lot of the reproduction physiology and this is why we first need to understand each individual and how their reproduction works basically but for example in the domestic animals again There've been lots of artificial insemination of poultry We can use the techniques that have been developed for domestic animals and transfer it in some instances to their wild or endangered counterparts There have been also some experiences with crocodile insemination for example but very little has been done in amphibians But of course it depends on the funds again People are more willing to spend money on the more sexy species like the big mammals the commercial interests that drives the advances.“ so whenever there's an endangered leopard or some other cat species that died they will actually have the zoo to send them the testicles and ovaries post mortem to process them They are able to harvest oocytes and sperm and they also produce embryos then in the laboratory which are then frozen and stored for the future but it's not commonly done for all the species and I think we need to work on this urgently The minimum numbers of viable groups is always in discussion, it really depends on the species. If we look at trying to save the rhino, you could take the example from the past there were only about some dozens of the White rhino left in South Africa with just a small number individuals it was actually possible to regrow the entire rhino population That shows that we should not give up hope yet for the Asian rhino at their low numbers But it's really critical at that point because the reproduction interval of rhinos is quite long; a rhino cow can have a calf about every two and a half years so if you add it up to the reproductive life span which is from 6 to 8 years until about their mid-20s then you can calculate that she can only have so many calves in her life Therefore it's crucial to have a good number of individuals contributing And another good reason of course is the genetic diversity the less individuals you have left in the end diseases… If you take all that into account you will end up with many different projections for minimum viable population numbers.“ It's a very exciting addition to the work I'm doing at the moment because beside the assisted reproduction we apply right now to increase offspring numbers by using these new technologies we also want to conserve genetics for the future that we have available now The big plan is for Africa to go out and collect sperm and egg cells – even post mortem after a rhino died naturally or was poached – and to put these into a cryo bank The idea is that in the case of the horrible poaching that takes place in South Africa now depending on the ambient temperature – collect viable sperm and freeze them and unlike blood or other cells or tissues that we freeze these sperm is actually something that we directly can apply in breeding programs.  A poached rhino found by Rhino Force. Right thereafter they will carry out a necropsy (autopsy of dead bodies) to recover forensic evidence and take tissue to gain genetic material So these rhino genetics are really viable because they can be utilized straight away or they can be kept for decades deeply frozen and may be revived anytime fortunately we still have large numbers of living White Rhinos available now it's wise to collect sperm from a huge range of individuals veterinarians and experts in wildlife assisted reproduction Imke Lüders (Hamburg) and her colleague Dr are leading Rhino Force's Cryovault project. The objective is to build the largest cryovault for African rhino genetics in the world by sampling post-morten and intra-vitam and so a reference database for the species shall be established Any material collected will be banked alongside with animal biometrical environment and location data to provide crucial information for the studying of population dynamics We can even collect egg cells on the female side And if we put these things into a cryobank and store them – the storage in liquid nitrogen is possible indefinitely – we still have the opportunity one day if populations declining further to go back and take these genetics out and apply them for breeding programs if we freeze them now these genetics won't be lost.“ Hemmersbach Rhino Force are the first that have access to the rhino carcasses they do the full necropsy to find the projectile for example if gunshots are involved This is actually a perfect opportunity to collect the reproductive tracts at the same time that means the testicles in the males and the ovaries in the females That can be done by a trained person that is firm in doing the necropsy; they'll do the post mortem anyway They will be instructed and just take the gonads (male or female) out and put them  into a coolerbox basically to keep the temperature low and stable The gonads are then transferred to a laboratory at the Hemmersbach Rhino Force Camp where we can process them that means that from the testicles (the epididymis) or the ovaries we can extract the sperm or egg cells and they'll then be processed and stored deeply frozen The idea came from Hemmersbach RhinoForce because they deal with those rhino carcasses on a day-to-day basis if nobody is taking any samples or processing them these animals will just be left out in the sun and the vultures will take their part and that's it Therefore it will be an ideal opportunity to make some sense out of this senseless killing and try to save what we can save.“ Usually the animals are shot at night or very early morning and it depends very much on the climate if the sperm or oocytes are viable In winter it is quite cool in South Africa the faster we get to it the better will be the results There are reports of viable sperm cells after two days It's a bit more critical for the female side because the testicles are outside the body whereas the ovaries are within the abdominal cavity because the bacteria will grow and everything will start to warm up inside and then the temperature gets quite critical for the egg cells to survive Therefore we must act a bit quicker for the females; ideally within six hours but there are reports of up the 20 hours that it's still possible to harvest viable oocytes from the ovary It basically depends on how fast the carcass is found but also keep in mind that it's a crime scene so the police have to clear the carcass first and only then we can do the post mortem and access it.“ „Once we got the testicles and the ovaries the process is that we flush out the sperm cell from the epidymidis and use special solutions to keep the sperm happy it's like a nutritional fluid that they will be transferred to and if necessary there will be several washing steps involved if there is any blood etc Then the sperm will be cooled down in the fridge From ambient temperature it will be slowly cooled down over two hours in the fridge to about 5 degrees and only then it will be filled in special straws for the cryopreservation process so the straws or the pallietes we use will be frozen further down and they'll be finally transfered to the liquid phase of the liquid nitrogen We have to use liquid nitrogen; we can't just put sperm or egg cells into a regular freezer because it won´t be cold enough The temperature of liquid nitrogen is almost -200°C That's the temperature we can store the sperm indefinitely in the sperm can be kept in this liquid nitrogen and will be still viable we pretty quickly bring them back to body temperature again – and the sperm will move again.“ „We always try to keep our equipment and all the processes field friendly and cost effective But the beauty of the liquid nitrogen is that you are completely independent from electricity as long as somebody is refilling the liquid nitrogen on a regular basis It's more about the monitoring and the refilling of the nitrogen The equipment we use is often more or less self-made or self-invented basically.“ Ian Player by The Rhino Project; Black Esatern Rhino with calve by Chester Zoo; White Rhinoceros cryo conservation by councilforresponsiblegenetics.org; Dr Imke Lüders with elephant by IZW-Berlin; All other images by Hemmersbach Rhino Force (WGFL) — A 50-year-old man died Saturday night after he was "sucker-punched" during an argument at an apartment complex Alachua County Sheriff's deputies say Chris Sims said 50-year-old David Odenthal and 17-year-old Jahaad Poole were arguing at Verdant Cove Apartments on SE 41st Drive when Poole asked his friends if he should punch the victim Sims said Poole "sucker punched" Odenthal knocking him unconscious and causing him to fall to the ground and strike his head on the pavement Sims said Odenthal went into "traumatic arrest" and was taken to UF Shands Hospital where he died Saturday night Deputies say they found Poole and charged him with aggravated battery Sims said they're discussing the case with the State Attorney's Office to discuss more charges since Odenthal died Poole is being held at the Juvenile Detention Center no more than 30,000 rhinos are left on earth including about 20,000 white rhinos and 5,250 black rhinos in Africa as well as about 3,500 Indian rhinos and no more than 100 Java and Sumatran rhinos in Indonesia respectively Extrapolating the numbers of casualties by poaching, with demand for rhino horn skyrocketing in the last ten years – especially in China and Vietnam – rhinos could disappear from our planet within a decade. It's no wonder people are already asking 'are rhinos extinct?' Is there a glimpse of hope left for these archaic creatures Or will they fall victim to human greed after surviving more than 50 million years on the planet rhinos have been on the verge of extinction before That time it was the commitment of a South African conservationist named Dr Ian Player that saved the rhinos from extinction Player launched his now famous 'Operation Rhino' in 1952 evacuating the last Southern White Rhinos – during which time there were only 200-300 of these animals left – from the Umfolozi game reserve to various national parks in southern Africa Could the strategy of a new 'Operation Rhino' continue to be successful South Africa is in under pressure and global limelight to save the rhinos which is by far the largest population in the world there is a complex and intertwined conflict taking place heavily armed private security forces and special units of the police alongside the military on the one side and on the other equally heavily armed by the Asian syndicates A RHINO FORCE anti-poaching ranger shows the areas of defence in Greater Kruger  The strategy to make rhinos a private asset – following in the footsteps of Ian Player during the time of 'Operation Rhino' – is considered by many Conservationists Ralph Koczwara, a German IT-entrepreneur and founder of Hemmersbach Rhino-Force a private anti-poaching and direct-action preservation organisation operating around Greater Kruger in South Africa and at the Lower Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe is currently preparing what could be called a 'new Operation Rhino' We need to protect and preserve the animals work with communities and authorities to achieve the sustainability of wildlife All that buys us time until we break the demand."  Koczwara's plans: to bring back the black rhino into the Lower Zambezi Valley 2,000 Black Rhino Minor once lived about 30 years ago Almost all of them were killed by poachers during the 1980s 30 animals were then evacuated further inland of Zimbabwe in an attempt to save the bulls from their nearing fate of extinction The social entrepreneur will own the returning rhinos buying them from Southern African breeders and bringing them to Zimbabwe into a well-protected zone inside a wider area of recreational land We will accompany Koczwara's "new rhino operation" during its implementation You'll find our story in a forthcoming episode of "Saving Rhinoceros" Ralph Koczwara on the idea of transforming Lower Zambezi Valley from intense hunting to a safe place for rhinos the group of rhinos will find a safe place to mate and to prosper and – from a wider perspective – to create a genetically viable and diverse population of black rhinos.  View from a RHINO FORCE air patrol flight over Lower Zambezi Valley The world's largest private rhino breeder, South African John Hume, sees another, more controversial approach as more promising though it would be quite a breach of taboo and a departure from previous anti-poaching strategies: the complete legalisation of horn trade He says: “We need to encourage everyone in the country to breed rhino and the only way to do that is to legalise the trade.” Hume and other private breeders at the Cape say the big expenses faced by breeders today – high-security fences food – cannot be covered in the long run if they're unable to sell their horns – which they get legally as part of their breeding and farming activities – to Asian buyers Up to $800,000 for a ten pounds horn is the current price on the Asian market to invest the money in the expansion of their stocks thus ensuring the conservation of the species Whether poaching can be stopped by legalising trade seems questionable The demand in Asia might prove to be too large to be legally matched by private breeders The price of horns is therefore likely to remain high and thus the incentive for the syndicates to get hold of that huge amount of money continues to be equally high Legalization in a context of state-controlled trade comparable to the legalisation of marijuana in some countries with horn DNA samples and authorised issuers and traders But there are certain natural limits to any legal offer of the horn because a harvested horn takes about a year or two to grow again whether the breeders can meet the enormous demand from Asia Many organisations, including the World Wildlife Fund, believe local communities are key to the success in protecting rhinos even those in close proximity to the National Parks have in many places lost contact with the wildlife in their neighbourhood; many children have never seen a Rhinoceros in their life children whose fathers are convicted and arrested as poachers might ultimately blame the animal for their fatherless childhood An empathic connection to the animals is unlikely to grow within such a vicious cycle for example in the transition process from hunting to sustainable tourism they might recognise the value – if only a monetary one – of wildlife Some conservation activists even suggest that the communities themselves should become owners of the animals in order to tackle the attraction of easy poaching money with an alternative legal and long-term perspective the question remains: if the potential income of eco-tourism could compensate for the temptations that the immense price for wild horn offers one should not underestimate the importance of schools and children. Educational projects such as the Chirundu School Project – we visited this school in Zimbabwe and will report about this project in a later episode – which involves children in conservation programs can play an important role in raising awareness among them many consider the approach of breaking the demand for horn in Southeast Asia to be the most promising For the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) it is clearly a social solution that is needed in those demand countries The WJC is using intelligence from undercover operations in order to provide support for national and international law enforcement on the ground But the organisation is also trying to incorporate initiatives seeking to change behaviours in these countries The aim is to reduce demand for endangered animals for medicinal purposes It's a long-term mission for behavioural changes it would possibly be the most elegant way of getting hold of the poaching problem the ice might save the rhino: minus 196° Celsius is the temperature at which nitrogen freezes The idea is to freeze male semen and female ovules so that they can be kept – theoretically for eternity the future of the three remaining Northern White Rhinos might have looked a little more promising than it does today They're now inevitably facing extinction although researchers are trying to save the species with some stem cell-based reproduction methods we'll publish our interview with Dr Imke Lüders Yet this elaborate method is still in its infancy and is seen sceptically by many reproductive researchers such as the German veterinarian Dr Imke Lüders an expert on assisted reproductions of large mammals.  Whether the final successful method will be the latest laboratory high technology or a return to a harmonious coexistence of communities on the ground; whether it will demand another armed campaign against poachers or a social media campaign against horn as a remedy or jewellery in Vietnam and China saving our rhinos remains a race against time John Hume on his rhino breeding farm by Fight for the Rhino Hong Kong customs seized a large amount of rhino horn by Bobby Yip / Reuters Rhino Force Chirundu School Project by FAIRPLANET Traditional medicine using Rhino horn Vietnam animalrescueblog/Flickr The Cincinnati Zoo preserves cryo of endangered species at -196 degree Celsius. CryoBioBank by Cincinnati Zoo