Why is there a pier jutting out from the land over this deserted track in the mountainous terrain? Why is there a fish-cleaning station in the distance, rusting away and unused? The answer is simple and terrifying; this used to be a lake. These were once the shores of Lake Mead, which sits between Arizona and Nevada in the USA.
A combination of rising temperatures and climate change, coupled with overuse of the Colorado River, have led to the Lake almost completely disappearing, along with the fishing industry that relied upon it and the fish that lived in it. A whole way of life in this part of the world has gone forever. With no way of saving the lake and no means of reversing the trend, the dwindling levels of water that still remain here will be gone by the end of 2021. Unless we change our ways, it will be one of many.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.