Cultureteca

Charles Grodin, Star of The Heartbreak Kid and Midnight Run, Dies Aged 86

by Christopher Laws

The actor, author, and talk show host Charles Grodin died at his home in Connecticut on Tuesday at the age of 86 years old. With a hempishly dry and indefatigably probing sense of humour, Grodin forged a career on the shabby margins of the mainstream, and remains best known for the classic comedy capers The Heartbreak Kid and Midnight Run.

Born to Orthodox Jewish parents in Pittsburgh, Grodin graduated as valedictorian from Peabody High School then dropped out of the University of Miami to pursue acting. He scored success on Broadway beginning with the 1962 opening of the romantic comedy Tchin-Tchin, where he took a supporting role opposite the stars Margaret Leighton and Anthony Quinn.

After a small but memorable part as the complaisant obstetrician Dr. Hill in the 1968 psychological horror Rosemary’s Baby, Grodin received his big break on the silver screen courtesy of the 1972 comedy The Heartbreak Kid. Directed by Elaine May from a screenplay by Neil Simon, the film saw Grodin cultivate a heedless and striving persona as the callow sporting goods salesman Lenny Cantrow, who quickly forgoes his Jewish wife for a sun-kissed blonde from the Midwest.

Giving his sunburnt bride the runaround in Miami or extolling the honesty of Minnesotan fare with a droll humour which sometimes borders on the absurd, Grodin was already adept at turning the comic spotlight on his colleagues. At the 45th Academy Awards, The Heartbreak Kid was celebrated with supporting nominations for his costars Eddie Albert and Jeannie Berlin.

Elaine May and her erstwhile comic partner Mike Nichols evidently saw something in Charles Grodin, who was reportedly offered the lead role in The Graduate before accepting a small part in Nichols’ next feature Catch-22. In 1978, Grodin starred in the comic fantasy Heaven Can Wait with its screenplay by Elaine May and Warren Beatty, and in 1987 he played opposite Beatty and Dustin Hoffman in May’s maligned adventure-comedy Ishtar.

In the meantime Grodin returned to the stage, in 1974 directing the Broadway play Thieves by Herb Gardner, then starring opposite a Tony Award-winning Ellen Burstyn in the romantic comedy Same Time, Next Year by Bernard Slade. Grodin hosted Saturday Night Live and received an Emmy Award as one of the writers for a Paul Simon television special, and he became a frequent guest on the late-night talk circuit where his combative exchanges with Johnny Carson and David Letterman alternately wrought confusion and delight. In 1979, Grodin played the family patriarch in the spoof documentary Real Life by Albert Brooks.

In 1985 Grodin assembled an all-star cast as the writer and producer of the Hollywood satire Movers & Shakers, which despite the assorted talents of Walter Matthau, Steve Martin, and Gilda Radner received limited distribution and ultimately flopped. His second wind as an actor came opposite Robert De Niro in the cult 1987 comedy Midnight Run. Grodin plays Jonathan ‘The Duke’ Mardukas, an inveterate fraudster who strikes up a slow-burning friendship with the bounty hunter Jack Walsh. Written by George Gallo and directed and produced by Martin Brest, with support from Yaphet Kotto, John Ashton, Dennis Farina, and Joe Pantoliano, Midnight Run endures as one of the essential buddy films.

A brief dalliance with the mainstream courtesy of the first two Beethoven movies ended with a long hiatus from film. Grodin hosted his own talk show on CNBC and worked briefly as a political correspondent for 60 Minutes II. At home with his family he devoted more of his time to his second career as the successful author of humorous observations and behind-the-scenes anecdotes, before slowly finding his way back to the screen.

Between film cameos and episodes of Law & Order and The Michael J. Fox Show, a late career highlight came over a couple of seasons as Dr. Bigelow in the FX comedy Louie between 2014 and 2015. Whether treating Louie’s ailments with philosophical scorn or conciliating with his patient’s daughter Jane, played by the wonderful Ursula Parker, Grodin brought a sense of assurance and opportunity to every scene.

Charles Grodin was a passionate supporter of The Innocence Project and received a William Kunstler Award for Racial Justice for his advocacy on behalf of non-violent inmates. According to his son Nicholas, bone marrow cancer was the cause of his death.

Night Market by Kelsey Ang Celebrates Third Culture Kids Through Contemporary Dance

by Christopher Laws

Now in its third year, the Along the Edge Arts Festival in Hong Kong provides a multidisciplinary space for artists who dwell on the margins of societal structures and cultural norms. The perfect setting then for the premiere of Night Market, a series of short dance films by the prolific choreographer Kelsey Ang.

Night Market celebrates cultural diversity from the perspective of third culture kids, people who have spent significant portions of their childhood living outside the culture of their parents. Third culture kids are exposed to a variety of cultural experiences which can prove both alienating, creating a sense of distance from any parent, national, or mainstream culture, and liberating, with the cross-pollination of influences spurring independent mindsets and original works of art.

Kelsey Ang is the founder and director of SHIFT Dance, an international dance platform which offers immersive classes and collaborative experiences out of its base in Hong Kong. For Night Market, she has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers whose life experiences stretch from Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore to Los Angeles, Norway, Ireland, and Iceland.

Four short sequences explore the sensory displacement of the subway, the Filipino concept of Kapwa from the purview of an ocean outcrop, and the neon vibrations of a night market where every moment exists in flux. Celine Chai and Lauren Ho play Kelsey Ang’s dance partners. Music comes from Munir of the Indonesian disco collective Midnight Runners, and from Sandrayati Fay, who earlier this year collaborated with Damien Rice and JFDR for a song in memory of the Honduran environmental activist and indigenous leader Berta Cáceres.

Night Market will stream online via the Along the Edge website until Sunday. Supporters of the project who choose to donate at https://nightmarketproject.com will receive an exclusive zine, combining original artworks and dance photography with photo collages inspired by the rich landscapes of Asia.

Tina Turner, Carole King, and Jay-Z Head the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021

by Christopher Laws

After unveiling one of the most diverse ballots in the organisation’s history back in February, on Wednesday the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame belched out its inductees for 2021 and left us with a mixed bag.

On the back of longstanding criticism and a recent change in leadership, seven female acts made the ballot in 2021. Kate Bush, Mary J. Blige, Carole King, Chaka Khan, The Go-Go’s, Dionne Warwick, and Tina Turner made the list alongside Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, arch new wave icons Devo, and archetypal glam scenesters the New York Dolls.

But on induction day the Rock Hall tilted in the direction of familiar faces. Carole King and Tina Turner received their belated dues as solo artists, following King’s induction with her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin in 1990, and Turner’s induction for her incendiary R&B antics with Ike in 1991. The abundant discography of Todd Rundgren and the groundbreaking all-girl success of The Go-Go’s make them worthy additions.

But in their first year of eligibility, did the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame need to add the flaccid rock of Foo Fighters, especially with Dave Grohl already added as part of Nirvana in 2014? Jay-Z may be a pop-cultural titan, but was his influence on the culture greater than that of LL Cool J or Mary J. Blige? And while Kate Bush and Fela Kuti will surely get another spin as the Rock Hall seeks to expand its palette, after near misses for Rufus does the ineffable talent of Chaka Khan risk falling through the cracks?

With King, Turner, The Go-Go’s, Rundgren, Foo Fighters, and Jay-Z making up the class of 2021, the omission of nominated bands Iron Maiden and Rage Against the Machine made it another bad year for heavy metal and rap rock. LL Cool J will at least enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with an Award for Musical Excellence, devised by the organisers as a way to credit unheralded performers or fill unseemly gaps.

Like LL, the towering krautrock band Kraftwerk have been previously nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on six occasions without making the final class. In 2021 they too will enter the Rock Hall through a side door courtesy of a storied and prestigious Early Influence Award. They will be joined by the Delta bluesman Charley Patton and spoken word pioneer Gil Scott-Heron, while the keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads accompany LL Cool J in the excellence category.

Artists become eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twenty-five years after their first commercial recording. Inductees are selected by an international voting body of more than 1,000 experts, including past winners, fellow artists, writers and critics, and assorted industry figures. With scarcely a nod towards audience participation, the Rock Hall holds a nominal fan ballot, which counts as a single vote.

Ajax Melt the Eredivisie as League Titles Get Decided Around Europe

by Christopher Laws

While some sides basked in early title celebrations and others gritted their teeth as league campaigns go down to the wire, AFC Ajax commemorated another triumph in the Eredivisie by holding their face to the blast furnace.

The Amsterdam side secured an historic 35th Eredivisie title more than a week ago with a 4-0 home victory over FC Emmen. Every title win for Ajax is historic, as the most successful side in Dutch football stretched their lead in points and trophies over their nearest rivals PSV Eindhoven. Despite an emergency order which aimed to curtail gatherings on the Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein, and other squares and streets in the centre of Amsterdam, fans of the club still thronged outside of the Johan Cruyff Arena and lit their traditional fare of flares and fireworks.

Football seasons across Europe have taken place in front of empty stands. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so in a gesture of solidarity with their supporters, Ajax announced on Wednesday that they will melt their latest championship trophy, in the process creating 42,000 individual stars. Over the coming weeks every Ajax season ticket holder will receive one of these stars, which weigh in at 3.45 grams, with 0.06 grams coming from the trophy.

Manchester City won the Premier League without kicking a ball on Tuesday night, following the defeat of second-placed Manchester United at home to Leicester City. Over the weekend, Bayern Munich wrapped up in a ninth straight Bundesliga title in Germany. Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon have ended their long waits for league success in Italy and Portugal respectively.

But things are still too close to call in Spain, where Atlético Madrid threaten to upset the air of entitlement around Real Madrid and Barcelona, and in France where plucky Lille maintain an edge over the exorbitant wealth of Paris Saint-Germain.

Rafa Nadal Adds to His Tally, While Iga Świątek Breaks Through at the French Open

by Christopher Laws

After a wet and windy start, the first week of the French Open threatened to fizzle out. Players complained of the cold, grumbled over inhospitable living conditions, and laboured out on the heavy courts with their slow balls, in front of a drastically curtailed number of fans. Paris was in the throes of a second wave of coronavirus.

At least the US Open served as something of a novelty, with a deserted Flushing Meadows providing the backdrop as Grand Slam tennis made its comeback. On the other hand even the return of Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep, and Elina Svitolina, who skipped New York for health reasons, could not mask the lack of frivolity in autumnal France. Then on Wednesday, Serena Williams withdrew from her second-round match citing an Achilles injury, taking with her one of the tournament’s major talking points as she strives to tie up Margaret Court on twenty-four Grand Slams.

Other seeds fell by the wayside, notably number two Karolína Plíšková and number four Daniil Medvedev. But Plíšková lost out to Jeļena Ostapenko, French Open champion in 2017 when Plíšková reached the semi-finals, while Medvedev has never reached beyond the first round at Roland Garros.

The likely contenders – Nadal looking for an unprecedented thirteenth French Open title, world number one Novak Djokovic seeking to close the Grand Slam gap, victor in 2018 Simona Halep, and Dominic Thiem, the newly-crowned US Open champion who has twice finished runner-up in France – progressed flawlessly. Home favourite Gaël Monfils and US Open finalist Victoria Azarenka went out.

Then on Friday the clouds lifted and Court Philippe Chatrier, still limited to just 1,000 spectators, seemed to grow in magnitude as the volume turned up a notch. In the match of the tournament so far, France’s own Caroline Garcia came back from a first-set thrashing to beat Elise Mertens 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, buoyed then hauled over the line by a rapturous smattering of locals.

A stormy first week also saw an epic five-setter between Andrey Rublev and Sam Querrey, while at the end of a bad-tempered encounter with the feisty Sara Errani, a victorious Kiki Bertens left the court sobbing in a wheelchair. The French Open picked up the pace over the weekend, as Italian newcomer Jannik Sinner blasted past a sickly Alexander Zverev, while the talented Polish teenager Iga Świątek saw off the top-seeded Halep in straight sets. Danielle Collins battled past former champion Garbiñe Muguruza, and French wild card Hugo Gaston gave Thiem a scare.

Halep and Muguruza were the last women in the draw with French Open final experience. That left the likes of Sofia Kenin and Petra Kvitová, eager to add to their Grand Slam titles, while Świątek and Svitolina led the charge of players hoping to break through.

Kenin ended home interest in the singles with a fourth-round victory over France’s Fiona Ferro, before besting her American compatriot Danielle Collins in three sets. Kvitová and Świątek progressed to the semi-final stage without dropping a set, but Svitolina tumbled in the quarters to Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska, making the semis a battle of the haves and have-nots.

Kenin, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open at the start of 2020, showed steel and focus as she battled past two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitová 6-4, 7-5. In their first Grand Slam semi-final, Świątek made short work of the surprise package from Argentina, thrashing Podoroska 6-2, 6-1.

So the women’s final bore a youthful complexion, with Świątek just nineteen and Kenin twenty-one years old, another encouraging sign for the sport with Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff part of a vibrant new generation. From the composure and confidence of her semi-final performance, on this occasion Kenin struggled up against the depth and versatility of Świątek, who became the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title, taking the French Open 6-4, 6-1.

Months out of high school, Świątek possesses an all-court game with strength and exceptional touch, but perhaps most of all the reach and consistency to excel on the slow clay of Roland Garros, her favourite surface. As a first-time champion, her victory in France was remarkably dominant, as over the course of two weeks she failed to lose a single set or more than five games per match.

When Dominic Thiem bowed out in the quarter-finals versus Diego Schwartzman, it seemed that nothing would stop a third French Open final meeting between world number one Novak Djokovic and world number two Rafa Nadal. Thiem, runner-up for the past two years in Paris, eventually succumbed to Schwartzman at the end of five hours and five sets, citing fatigue following his successful travails at the US Open.

Nadal, in a galaxy of his own as he chased his thirteenth French Open title, saw off the challenge of spunky Italian youngster Jannik Sinner in the quarters, and maintained the upper hand against Schwartzman through straight sets. Stefanos Tsitsipas promised a sterner test for Djokovic in the other semi-final, after running through Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev. Victorious at last year’s ATP Finals, a semi-final appearance for Tsitsipas matched his best ever showing at a Grand Slam, and he proved his mettle after stumbling in the early going, though it was Djokovic who turned on the burners in the decisive fifth set.

Nadal seemed to have overcome the early complaints of slow balls and chilly temperatures, but even from within his own camp there were concerns that the heavy conditions would hinder his usual clay court kick. No worries, for in a surprisingly lopsided final, it was Nadal who prevailed 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. An implausible thirteenth title at Roland Garros also saw Nadal join Roger Federer on twenty Grand Slams, a lofty but perilous precipice. With Djokovic lagging behind on seventeen major titles, the two outstanding figures in modern men’s tennis revelled in each other’s company, at least for now.

Corsican Mourning Hymns and Honey From Sacré-Cœur at Paris Fashion Week

by Christopher Laws

With travel restrictions once more en vogue across Europe, Paris Fashion Week arrived at the end of the spring-summer cycle as an unusually localised affair. Just as the Milanese kept to Milan, so the Parisians held Paris, with the usual glitterati and paparazzi from far-flung Asia and America confined to their sweatpants and laptops as they watched proceedings from home.

Paris of course remains the fashion capital of the world, and while designers remained reticent in New York and London, even stellar shows in Milan from Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, and Prada gave way in the French capital to some hearty Gallic flair. France had planned for a largely virtual show, but as Paris Fashion Week drew closer, designers eyed the runway with a sense of devil-may-care.

Kenzo, Balmain, Chloé, Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton were among the fashion houses opting for in-person presentations, with the grand opening of Paris Fashion Week the preserve of Dior. In front of socially distanced pews and stained glass light-box installations, as twelve a capella singers recited nineteenth-century Corsican mourning hymns, Maria Grazia Chiuri reworked the iconic Dior Bar jacket with long-flowing gowns and strapped tunics, in navy blue and amber-hued paisley and floral prints.

At Kenzo, the environmentally conscious Felipe Oliveira Baptista drew inspiration from the Macedonian beekeeping documentary Honeyland. Models wore sunhats and hoods draped with protective netting, and guests received pots of honey from nearby Sacré-Cœur, all in the surrounds of an inner-city rose garden. At Balmain, Olivier Rousteing opted for big shoulders, Swarovski crystals, and washed denim, with bursts of neon and navy as the brand navigated the greyscale. While guests huddled and thronged in the smoky backdrop, a virtual front row featured some of fashion’s heavy hitters, from Anna Wintour and Jennifer Lopez to Cara Delevingne and Milla Jovovich.

Through slick hair and earth tones, Natacha Ramsay-Levi styled out a wardrobe of bohemian essentials for Chloé, as models emblazoned on big screens wandered the banks of the Seine before congregating at the Palais de Tokyo. At the Palais-Royal, Isabel Marant evoked the discothèque with clubwear and a stomping remix of Donna Summer.

Yohji Yamamoto, a mainstay of Paris Fashion Week, was one of the few designers who made the perilous trip from Japan, while from sporty Benelux beaches to the Lebanese mountains of Faqra, Dries Van Noten, Elie Saab, Rick Owens, Loewe, and Issey Miyake opted for home deliveries from faraway shores, mostly by way of digital presentations.

For Hermès, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski focused on block colours, scooped sides, and long trenches, blending the austere with the sensual in front of digitised Greco-Roman ruins and sculptures. With ‘Sunglasses at Night’, Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga offered a sustainable take on post-apocalyptic techno culture. And bringing the weekend to a close, boosted shoulders, fishnet vests, oversized bags, and an abundance of metal and leather made for hyper-luxe streetwear in Matthew Williams’ Givenchy debut.

On the final day Chanel yanked the curtain, sweeping across the Grand Palais with Parisian chic and the scope of a Hollywood production. Capital letters propped against an all-white set and teasers by Inez and Vinoodh made the association explicit, while creative director Virginie Viard stayed closer to home, referencing classic French films from Rules of the Game to Breathless. Tweed skirts, cardigans and jackets in bouclé with rounded shoulders, and button-up blouses spanned a palette of black and white, ecru, and pink, while the brand’s name in neon adorned cinched dresses and contrast tops like overlapping billboards.

At Miu Miu, Miuccia Prada made do with a virtual front row, featuring familiar faces like Gabrielle Union, Elle Fanning, and Chloë Sevigny. The theme was sporty, with track tops over plaid and ribbon skirts, though the headlines inevitably raced in the direction of Lila Moss on her runway debut.

For Maison Margiela, John Galliano sought connectivity, inspired by a trip to Buenos Aires and the intergenerational quality of tango culture. The second part of S.W.A.L.K. (Sealed With A Loving Kiss), following the artisanal collection which Galliano unveiled back in July, focused on the co-ed or ready-to-wear market.

Shot by Nick Knight over a few days in Tuscany, the film on display in Paris combined the elements of behind-the-scenes documentary and thriller, featuring fine tailoring, cutout jackets and leggings, ruffled shoulders, and silk neckerchiefs. In black and white with scarlet flourishes, models wore their faces and hair pulled back via tulle netting, and the iconic Tabi shoe made an appearance, custom-fit for the Tango covered in clear plastic.

That left Louis Vuitton as the last live showpiece of Paris Fashion Week, where Nicolas Ghesquière offered up an unconstrained gender-neutral collection. 360-degree cameras on poles popped up between the couple of hundred guests who lined the freshly renovated La Samaritaine department store, allowing invitees to browse from the comfort of home, while the global livestream featured circus acts and clips from Wings of Desire by Wim Wenders.

Loose pleated pants, graphic tees, and soft shoulders made for a relaxed runway, as Léa Seydoux, Venus Williams, Laura Harrier, and Alicia Vikander watched on from the front row, leaving ample room for the occasional extravagance. Metallic jackets and dresses rubbed up against embroidered gilets and oversized knits, with flowing trenches and a cropped and studded leather biker jacket. So the first full fashion cycle of the coronavirus era drew to a close, an inclusive gesture amid a hostile season.

Kenzo Takada, the Japanese Designer Who Revolutionised French Fashion, Dies at 81

by Christopher Laws

With the wet weather and surging coronavirus already putting a dampener on Paris Fashion Week, the fashion world was rocked on Sunday by the death of Kenzo Takada. The founder of Kenzo fashion house, famous for his oversize designs and cross-cultural inspirations which made bold use of floral and ethnic prints, led a Japanese revolution in the French fashion industry.

Against the wishes of his family, Kenzo had switched studies to become one of the first male students to enroll at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. In 1961, his designs won the Soen Prize, awarded by the prestigious women’s magazine, and in 1964, compensation he received for the demolition of his apartment ahead of the Tokyo Olympics allowed him to travel to Paris.

Kenzo sold sketches and worked briefly as a stylist until in 1970, he managed to acquire space in the Galerie Vivienne. Creating a collection largely out of cotton, painting the walls in wild florals inspired by Henri Rousseau, Kenzo opened his first boutique, which he named Jungle Jap. Soon his exuberant designs splashed on the cover of Elle and inside the pages of Vogue.

From loosely structured trousers and tunics, youthful waistcoats and dungarees, and capacious dresses with wide armholes and billowing shoulders to knit throws and silk shawls styled around folk themes, Kenzo proved popular among the fashionistas of Paris. By 1976 he had opened his flagship store in the Place des Victoires. Revolutionising the fashion show with a penchant for theatrics and models who bounced and twirled down the catwalk, in 1978 and 1979 Kenzo held shows inside a circus tent, with the designer himself riding an elephant.

In the eighties Kenzo launched menswear and jeans lines and branched out into fragrances. In 1984 he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Then in 1993, Kenzo sold his company to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, remaining as the creative director until 1999, when after thirty years at the helm he took a step back from the world of fashion.

Kenzo subsequently designed costumes for the opera and the uniforms for the Japanese team at the 2004 Olympics, before turning his hand to homeware and furniture collections. In 1999 he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon by Japan, and in 2016 he was elevated to Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Kenzo died on Sunday at the age of 81, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine from complications after contracting coronavirus.

Savage x Fenty Vol. 2 is a Neon-Clad Ode to Body Positivity

by Christopher Laws

As the spring-summer fashion shows came to a climax in Paris, perhaps nothing could have successfully diverted eyeballs so much as the second season of Savage x Fenty. The fall 2020 collection of lingerie by Rihanna premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime on Friday.

Filmed inside an empty Los Angeles Convention Center over a few days in early September, Savage x Fenty Vol. 2 emerged as a neon-clad ode to body positivity. Inside tunnels draped with fabric and bathed in light, against green-hued factory floors and psychedelic woodland and jungle settings, Rosalía, Miguel, Bad Bunny, and Ella Mai performed while Cara Delevingne, Bella Hadid, Lizzo, Normani, Gigi Goode, Irina Shayk, Laura Harrier, Rico Nasty, Demi Moore, Soo Joo Park, and Lyric Mariah were among the diverse cast of models.

Behind-the-scenes documentary footage, interviews, and personal reminiscences interspersed the heightened sensuality of the clothes and livewire musical performances, with dancing choreographed by Parris Goebel. And there was an added focus this year on men’s undergarments, with loungewear, boxers, and form-fitting trunks designed by Christian Combs, son of the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy.

Political Leaders Pledge Action Ahead of the United Nations Biodiversity Summit

by Christopher Laws

Political figures from 64 countries signed a Leaders’ Pledge for Nature over the weekend, ahead of the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity, which was hosted virtually from New York. The figures include presidents, prime ministers, and other government representatives from across six continents, from Albania to Uganda, from Justin Trudeau, Imran Khan, and Jacinda Ardern to Boris Johnson, Angela Merkel, and Emmanuel Macron.

Recognising a state of planetary emergency in the face of unprecedented biodiversity loss, the pledge sets out a ten-point plan of urgent action which hopes to put the world on a path to recovery by 2030. The pledge includes commitments to reduce pollution and deforestation, and to ward off alien species while preventing against habitat loss. It aims to protect land and marine ecosystems with the participation of local communities and indigenous peoples, and to boost international efforts towards the sustainable production and consumption of food.

Realising that the global coronavirus pandemic necessitates a green response, the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature vows to put biodiversity at the heart of policy decisions and investment strategies. Its goals were backed in the buildup to the Summit on Biodiversity on Wednesday by David Attenborough, who called for strong leadership. On this point however the pledge contains an implicit warning, as major polluters including the United States, China, Brazil, Russia, India, and Australia have so far failed to sign up.