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At least 118 countries at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai have backed a pledge to improve energy efficiency rates by 4% each year until 2030. In its simplest form, energy efficiency can simply mean using appliances, technology, or electronics that are designed to consume less energy, such as heat pumps or LED lighting. Industries worldwide could save $437 billion per year by 2030 with improved energy efficiency, according to an October 2023 industry collective report by the Energy Efficiency Movement. As a result, energy efficiency improved globally this year by about 1.3% compared with last year, slower than the 2% improvement posted in 2022 due largely to rising energy demand, the IEA's annual Energy Efficiency report said. In the U.S., energy efficiency is beating the global average efficiency improvement rate this year at 4%, with $86 billion allocated for the goal under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Larissa Gross, Sofie Irgens, Nick Eyre, Gloria Dickie, Katy Daigle, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, International Energy Agency, BE, European Union, Industries, Energy, U.S . Department of Energy, IEA, Oxford University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Watchfield, Swindon, Britain, Dubai, leakages, India, Africa, U.S, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands

☆ Fact Check: Video of French farmers' protest unrelated to Israel-Hamas war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video of a French farmer dumping manure outside a McDonald’s in eastern France to protest fast-food outlets that import foreign meat products has been falsely claimed online to be about Israel’s war with Hamas. Yannick Augrandenis, an associate at the communications consultancy representing McDonald’s France, told Reuters in an email that the video shows the Nov. 24 protest. This included 21,950 tonnes of beef for minced steaks used in McDonald’s recipes and 18,001 tonnes of chicken, which meant nuggets were 100% French meat, the statement said. The video shows a farmers’ protest over fast-food chains importing meat, not the Israel-Hamas war. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: Yannick Augrandenis, Read Organizations: Hamas, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Google, McDonald’s, Thomson Locations: France, Vesoul, Haute, Saone, McDonald’s France, Israel

☆ Diwali, the Festival of Lights, explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —More than a billion Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists around the world are celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights. Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images• Choti Diwali, or Naraka Chaturdashi: The second day of Diwali marks Lord Krishna’s defeat of the demon king Narakasura. • Diwali, or Lakshmi Puja: The third day of the festival is what people typically think of as Diwali. For some Hindus, Diwali marks Rama and Sita’s triumphant return to their kingdom after 14 years of exile. For Jains, Diwali signifies the day Lord Mahavira, their last spiritual leader, attained physical death and achieved enlightenment.

Persons: It’s, Rafiq Maqbool, Lakshmi, Dhanvantari, Ayurveda, Narinder Nanu, Krishna’s, Narakasura, •, Krishna, Lord Indra’s, • Bhai Dooj, Lord Yama, tilak, Prince Rama, Vishnu, Sita, Ravana, Rama, Sita’s, Xavier Galiana, Lord Krishna’s, Bali, Bandi, Hargobind, Emperor Jahangir, Jahangir, Guru Hargobind, Mahavira, Emperor Ashoka, Manjunath Kiran, patti, Shiva, Parvati Organizations: CNN, Getty, Lord Locations: India, Nepal, Malaysia, Fiji, Homes, Mumbai, AFP, Vrindavan, Bangalore

☆ Rice, beer, and urine mixed into ancient structures could help explain how they're still standing after millennia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIs ancient Roman concrete better than today's? Her research has found that the key could be in the specific volcanic materials used by the Romans. According to Selvaraj's research, in humid areas of India, builders used local herbs that help structures deal with moisture. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn't hold up heavy loads: "You couldn't build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete," Oleson said. Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient material's specialties and add them into modern mixes.

Persons: —, they've, Carlos Rodriguez, Navarro, John Oleson, Domenico Stinellis, Vitruvius, Admir, Rome —, Marie Jackson, Jackson, Rodriguez, Moises Castillo, Cecilia Pesce, They'd, Pesce, Mark Schiefelbein, Thirumalini Selvaraj, Selvaraj, Oleson, Masic Organizations: Service, Spain's University of Granada, University of Victoria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Utah, AP, University of Sheffield, Vellore Institute of Technology, Army Corps of Engineers, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science, Educational Media Group Locations: Canada, Portland, Rome, Copan, Honduras, England, India

Is ancient Roman concrete better than today's? Most modern concrete starts with Portland cement, a powder made by heating limestone and clay to super-high temperatures and grinding them up. The ancient builders mixed materials like burnt limestone and volcanic sand with water and gravel, creating chemical reactions to bind everything together. Now, scientists think they’ve found a key reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years: The ancient material has an unusual power to repair itself. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn't hold up heavy loads: “You couldn’t build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete,” Oleson said.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Carlos Rodriguez, Navarro, John Oleson, Vitruvius, Admir, Rome —, Marie Jackson, Jackson, ” Jackson, Rodriguez, Cecilia Pesce, They’d, ” Pesce, Thirumalini Selvaraj, Selvaraj, Oleson, Masic Organizations: —, Spain’s University of Granada, University of Victoria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Utah, University of Sheffield, Vellore Institute of Technology, Army Corps of Engineers, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Canada, Portland, Rome, Copan, Honduras, England, India

☆ Ukraine’s Push Into Green Energy Starts With 5,600 Tons of Cow Dung
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | Photographs Joseph Sywenkyj For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones

U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, at the Communist Party of Vietnam Headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 10, 2023. Deals unveiled by the White House during the trip include Vietnam Airlines' purchase of 50 Boeing 737 Max jets, in an agreement that it said was worth $7.8 billion, in line with an earlier Reuters report. The White House also announced plans by Microsoft (MSFT.O) to make a "generative AI-based solution tailored for Vietnam and emerging markets." The White House also highlighted the number of chip-related investments by U.S. firms in Vietnam, including plans by Marvell and Synopsys (SNPS.O) to build chip design centres in the country. U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken and Vietnam's investment minister Nguyen Chi Dung chaired the meeting, which was followed by discussions with Biden and Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Persons: Joe Biden, Nguyen Phu Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, Joe Biden's, MoMo, Biden, Vietnam's FPT, Antony Blinken, Nguyen Chi Dung, Pham Minh Chinh, Dung, Phuong Nyugen, Nandita Bose, Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Vietnam's Communist Party General, Communist Party of, REUTERS, Rights, Google, Intel, Marvell, Boeing, Innovation, Investment, Nasdaq, Vietnam Airlines, White, Max, Microsoft, Nvidia, Intel's, Honeywell, State, Vietnam's, Thomson Locations: Communist Party of Vietnam, Hanoi, Vietnam, Rights HANOI, chipmaking, Washington, China, Taiwan, U.S, United States

New Delhi CNN —The bulldozers and government officials arrived just before dawn, tearing down the row of shanties as its bewildered residents watched inconsolably nearby. CNN has reached out to the New Delhi and federal governments but is yet to receive a response. Rhea Mogul/CNN“I can’t explain how distraught everyone was as they bulldozed the homes,” Savita said. The demolitions are being done with extreme cruelty.”Savita helps her children with homework at a temporary home in Delhi. Modi sees India as a confident and modern superpower, a voice for the voiceless seizing the 21st century.

Persons: ”, Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak, Rhea Mogul, Narendra Modi, Harsh Mander, Jayanti Devi, Savita, ” Savita, “, ” Mander, Modi, ” Modi, …, ’, ” Devi Organizations: New, New Delhi CNN, ”, British, CNN, Policy Research, Survey, India, ASI, CNN Homeless, Workers, Indian National Congress, Commonwealth Games, Global, “ Locations: New Delhi, “, Devi, Pragati, Rhea, India, Delhi, Mander, Ukraine, United States

☆ Home in a box: Rethinking disaster relief, IKEA style
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Marianna Cerini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Rather than sending tents, however, Indian nonprofit SEEDS partnered with Sweden’s Better Shelter to distribute over 100 of its IKEA-inspired temporary houses. Like IKEA furniture, Better Shelter’s homes come in flat packages that can be easily shipped and assembled in a matter of hours, without the need for tools or electricity. Each unit comprises a modular frame and is completed using local materials, such as bamboo or timber, before being equipped with a lockable door and solar-powered lamp. Sahiba Chawdhary/Better ShelterKarlsson began developing the concept for Better Shelter’s housing as a freelance designer in 2010, when a small aid project asked him to improve the design of its disaster relief tents. Sahiba Chawdhary/Better ShelterScalable, adaptable and localIn 2021, Better Shelter introduced its latest modular design: Structure.

Persons: CNN —, Gita Kumari Bhumik, ” Bhumik, Kumari Bhumik, Chawdhary Bhumik, It’s, ”, Johan Karlsson, “, Karlsson, you’re, we’ve, ” Karlsson, Sahiba, Geeta Bhumik, it’s Organizations: CNN, IKEA, IKEA Foundation, UN, decarbonization, UNHCR, for Economics & Peace, Better Locations: India’s, Assam, Indian, Assam's Kalain, Swedish, Ethiopia, Iran, Kenya, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Ecuador, Netherlands, Sydney

☆ Review: Delayed by the Pandemic, Pilobolus Celebrates Its 50th
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Gia Kourlas | More About Gia Kourlas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pilobolus has been pushing bodies to their limits in unusual shapes and precarious balances since 1971, when its founding members met at Dartmouth College. The company’s leadership has shifted and changed over the years, but what remains is the group’s collaborative approach. The group also possesses commercial appeal despite the origins of its name: Pilobolus is a genus of fungi that grows on herbivore dung. Now under the leadership of Renée Jaworski and Matt Kent — two former company members — Pilobolus, after a pandemic delay, concludes its 50th anniversary tour with a three-week season at the Joyce Theater. Its title, the “Big Five-OH!,” has much in common with aspects of the group’s choreography, which can veer into the painfully cute.

Persons: Pilobolus, Renée Jaworski, Matt Kent —, — Pilobolus, ”, Derion Loman, Madison Olandt, Jaworski, Jad, “ Mary Poppins, Marlon Feliz, Hannah Klinkman Organizations: Dartmouth College, Joyce Theater, Kent Locations: York, “

☆ Butterfly group named after 'Lord of the Rings' villain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The “distinctive fused orange rings” that encircle black-and-white eyespots on the hindwings of this group led the researchers to name the genus Saurona, according to a recent study published in the journal Systematic Entomology. The Eye of Sauron glows in the 2001 film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." … It’s a very fine scientific paper.”Distinguishing a special groupThe researchers documented two new species in the Saurona genus, named Saurona triangula and Saurona aurigera. Female saurona butterflies have slightly more rounded wings than males, but are otherwise similar in pattern, the authors found. Giving newly described genera or species names drawn from pop culture can draw attention to underappreciated species, Huertas said.

☆ Hippo attacks: How to avoid one of Africa's most dangerous animals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

“Hippos attack not to eat people, but to get them the hell away from them,” Lewison said. Larger vessels can offer more protection from a sudden hippo attack. photocech/Adobe StockGet to know the signs of disturbed hippos, Muruthi advised, in case you wander too closely. … If you slap the water, the percussion 99.9 times out of 100 will turn the hippo,” Templer said. Remember to suck in air if on the surface.”Another hippo attack survivor in this National Geographic video also was able to conserve her breath.

HANOI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - As China, Japan and other East Asian countries prepare to celebrate the start of the Lunar Year of the Rabbit on Sunday, the people of Vietnam will be an exception - welcoming instead the Year of the Cat. There is no official explanation for when and why the Vietnamese embraced the cat instead of the rabbit. "It doesn't have the same power as a cat", Hanoi resident, Ngo Quy Dung, said of the rabbit, as he proudly noted that he was born 60 years ago in the Year of the Cat. Another resident of Hanoi, Nguyen Kim Chi, 64, agreed. "The cat looks more majestic because it also resembles a little tiger," she said, while taking photographs besides a large cat statue at the Central Park in the capital.

☆ The story behind hing, one of India's most divisive ingredients
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Shalbha Sarda | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The resin from its roots is used in Indian cooking – usually after it’s ground into powder and mixed with flour. At the Khari Baoli market in old Delhi, for instance, hing even manages to ‘out-smell’ all the other spices. Despite the culinary diversity of India, hing is a constant.”Jains, for example, eschew onion, garlic and ginger in addition to not eating meat. The history of hingSome scholars credit Alexander the Great for first bringing hing to India. Nevertheless, Indians have had their encounter with hing now; it came, it saw, and it stayed.”The professor adds that hing was used in some Greco-Roman cooking but didn’t last long.

Persons: ‘ Asa ’, it’s, hing, Hing, Siddharth Talwar, Rhea Rosalind Ramji, Ramji, Talwar, Alexander the Great, ”, Ashish Chopra, “, umami, asafoetida Organizations: CNN, The, Showbiz Chefs, hing, National Library of Medicine Locations: Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, India, Delhi, Worcestershire

☆ Human hair recycled in Belgium to protect the environment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Jakob Van Calster | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Coiffeurs across Belgium are sweeping up and bagging hair clipped from their customers, and then handing it over to an NGO that recycles it to protect the environment. The Hair Recycle project feeds locks and tresses into a machine that turns them into matted squares that can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons polluting the environment, or made into bio-composite bags. [1/5] Patrick Janssen, co-founder of the organisation Dung Dung, shows a tile made from recycled human hair that is used to absorb polluting chemical substances in water, in Waremme, Belgium December 8, 2022. Isabelle Voulkidis, manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of dozens of hairdresser across the country that pay a small fee to the project to collect their hair cuttings. Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol; Writing by John Chalmers; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation, even if 1.5C goal out of reach
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Katy Daigle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The software-developer-turned-philanthropist was nevertheless upbeat about climate innovation - ticking off numerous areas advancing low-carbon technologies with funding from the Breakthrough Energy Group, which Gates founded in 2015. Gates has invested more than $2 billion toward climate technologies, including direct air capture, solar energy and nuclear fission. Breakthrough Energy, however, operates separately from the Gates Foundation charity. But any Breakthrough Energy profits are funneled back into the group or to the foundation. He did not elaborate on the DAC companies' plans.

Policymakers hope an ambitious deal can spur nature conservation in the same way that an international pact in Paris in 2015 helped mobilize efforts to limit planet-warming carbon emissions. However, the text mentions only that $20 billion to $30 billion per year comes from developed countries by 2030. "Probably we will have to reach an agreement between $30 billion and $100 billion," Colombia's Muhamad told reporters. The draft deal does not mention setting up a separate facility. Lastly, risks from pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals would be reduced by at least half, but the text does not address slashing their overall use.

REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliSAO PAULO/MONTREAL, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Brazil's Cerrado savanna rose to a seven-year high, government data showed on Wednesday, destroying a vital habitat for threatened species and releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases that drive climate change. Destruction of native vegetation rose 25% to 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 square miles) – an area larger than Lebanon. Brazil's official deforestation statistics run from August to July to minimize clouds obscuring the destruction. The Cerrado, the world's most species-rich savanna, has given way to Brazil's expanding agricultural frontier for decades. "We need COP15 negotiators to prioritise ending deforestation and conversion in areas where the yearly rate of ecosystem losses prove alarming, like the Cerrado."

For decades, searching for such hard-to-reach plants and collecting samples was carried out by intrepid botanists who rappelled by rope down dangerous cliffs to hunt for what was lost. Now, we may have a little more time before extinction.”DIRE SITUATIONToday, two in five plant species globally are threatened with extinction. Kauai has 250 plant species that can be found only on the island. To protect species in the long run, botanists need to collect samples — seeds and genetic material — which they can cultivate in greenhouse nurseries. They might even use drones to bomb down collected seeds, packing them into sticky fertilizer balls that can adhere to steep cliffs.

☆ Oldest DNA reveals life in Greenland 2 million years ago
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

NEW YORK — Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments. In their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they compared the DNA to that of different species, looking for matches. He worked on the study that previously held the “oldest DNA” record, from a mammoth tooth around a million years old.

And Wagner’s beloved fireflies – like so many insects worldwide – have largely vanished in what scientists are calling the global Insect Apocalypse. “Insects are the food that make all the birds and make all the fish,” said Wagner, who works at the University of Connecticut. Humans, too, see some 2,000 species of insects as food. “We’d see yields dropping of all of these crops.”And in nature, about 80% of wild plants rely on insects for pollination. WINNERS AND LOSERSWhile the situation is bleak for insects at large, a few types of insects are thriving.

☆ New Zealand plans to tax emissions from livestock burps and dung
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

David Clapp | Stone | Getty ImagesNew Zealand plans to tax agricultural emissions — including those related to the burps, urine and dung from livestock like cows and sheep — in a move its government hopes will help the country meet climate change goals. "This is an important step forward in New Zealand's transition to a low emissions future and delivers on our promise to price agriculture emissions from 2025," she said. Agriculture plays a major role in New Zealand's economy, including exports, but it accounts for a considerable chunk of the country's emissions. In the consultation document, authorities said greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture — carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane — were responsible for more than half of New Zealand's gross emissions. According to the document, carbon dioxide stems from urea, while nitrous oxide comes from livestock dung and urine.

Residents who evacuated from their flooded homes sit on a roadside after Super Typhoon Noru, in San Ildefonso, Bulacan province, Philippines, September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Eloisa LopezHANOI, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Vietnam urged more people on Tuesday to evacuate as an intensifying Typhoon Noru barrelled towards the southeast Asian nation, after causing at least eight deaths and widespread flooding in the Philippines. The typhoon forced airports in Vietnam to close, causing travel disruption, while thousands were forced to evacuate their homes, according to official statements. Typhoon Noru, the strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year, also damaged 1.53 billion pesos ($26 million) worth of crops, government data showed. read more"There are still areas with floods," Daniel Fernando, governor of Bulacan province north of the capital, told DZRH.

Dung, condamnat la 15 ani de închisoare, a înfiinţat în 2014 Asociaţia independentă a jurnaliştilor din Vietnam, care potrivit poliţiei a vizat schimbarea regimului. Ceilalţi doi au primit câte 11 ani de detenţie. Amnesty International a remarcat ca reacţie la sentinţele anunţate că „severitatea acestora arată cât de departe au mers cenzorii din Vietnam, până şi după propriile standarde profund represive”. În pofida amplelor reforme economice şi a unei tot mai mari deschideri faţă de schimbările sociale, Partidul Comunist la putere în Vietnam menţine o cenzură strictă asupra media şi nu tolerează criticile. Partidul conducător şi-a intensificat campania antidisidenţă în perspectiva congresului cincinal prevăzut să aibă loc mai târziu în ianuarie, notează Reuters.

Persons: Chi Dung, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Chi Minh, Reuters Organizations: Partidului Comunist din, Amnesty International, Partidul Comunist Locations: Le, Chi, Vietnam, Partidului Comunist din Vietnam

☆ How many 'unavoidable defects' are in peanut butter and other foods you eat?
▼ + stars: | 2019-10-04 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

That dark, delicious bar you devoured might contain 30 or more insect parts and a sprinkling of rodent hair. That means each 2 tablespoon-peanut butter sandwich would only have about eight insect fragments and a teensy bit of rodent filth. (“Filth” is what the FDA calls these insect and rodent food defects.) Did you know there can be 450 insect parts and nine rodent hairs in every 16-ounce box of spaghetti? “Do we have particularly high insect parts or was it a particularly buggy time of year when the food was harvested?

Persons: CNN — Brace, gosh, ”, Ben Chapman, Chapman, “, ” Chapman, I’ve, Will Organizations: CNN, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, North Carolina State University Locations: America

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