Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1482987
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 OCTOBER 2022 9 ALMANAC Nature Notebook 838. Ghadira Nature Reserve DESPITE the unseasonal blazing heat of the past days, Għadira na- ture reserve is showing clear signs that autumn's here. Our ears fill with robin song as the newly-arrived birds vociferously stake out winter territory. Our nostrils fill with the scent of golden samphire, now in full flower and drawing bees and butterflies by the score. The ground is sprouting a new green carpet thanks to the rain some weeks ago (high time we get some more showers now!). Meanwhile, the tamarisk trees are gradually turning their foliage orange and get ready for winter sleep. A quiet half-hour in the birdwatching hide can turn up flamingo, black-winged stilt and other water-loving birds like moorhen, water rail and grey heron. Grab a pair of binoc- ulars and go visit some weekend. Remember: it's free. Climate Justice Now! The climate crisis mainly caused by our current economic system is the greatest social challenge we face today. To guarantee security for all, we need a drastic systematic change. With COP 27 taking place in Egypt next month, we need to make our voices heard. Every year 20 million people are forced to leave their homes because of environmental chang- es or natural disasters. Policymakers must connect these dots and push for a just and sustainable future, a well-being economy and peace for all. We call for limiting global warming to less than 1.5 °C by achieving climate neutrality for the EU by 2040, transitioning to a socially and en- vironmentally just wealth economy, protecting climate change-induced migrants and involving youth to integrate bottom-up views. For this purpose, Friends of the Earth Malta is collecting signatures for an EU- wide climate justice petition. Sign the petition by the seventh of Novem- ber and use your power to be part of change. Your signature is indispen- sable to make climate justice resounding at the COP27. Let our voice be heard, let us show the future we want for our planet and for the people- a thriving future for everyone. Be the #ClimateOfChange! Victor Falzon, Aron Tanti www.birdlifemalta.org Green idea of the week 726: You can sign the petition here: https://foemalta.org/ climate-change/climateofchange/petition/ Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation – www.foemalta.org/donate Don't miss this International Christmas Fair 13 November Place: InterContinental Malta The 4th International Christmas Fair is organised by the Association of International Women in Malta (AIWM), with all proceeds going to charity; this year to SOAR Service, St Jeanne Antide Foundation and FIDEM Charity Foundation. Give nature a voice. Become a BirdLife member The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber 19 November Place: Teatru Aurora November will then be the month whereby The Gozo Youth Orchestra in collaboration with The Helping Hand Group will present a Gala performance of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber on Saturday 19th November 2022 at 7.30p.m. This show will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Gozo Youth Wind Band & Orchestra and the 25th Anniversary of The Helping Hands Group. A GOOD WEEK Good Week/Bad Week A BAD WEEK Rihanna has released her first solo single in six years, a song taken from the soundtrack of the forthcoming Black Panther sequel. Lift Me Up was released on Friday after the singer teased her return to music on social media earlier this week. Taylor Swift has edited a music video days after its release, following backlash over one of the scenes.In the original video for Anti-hero, the singer steps onto a scale that reads "FAT", as her alter ego shakes her head, seemingly in disappointment. The song will appear in Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which is set to be released in November. Critics said the scene was "fatphobic" and reinforced negative connotations with the word "fat".